STEPHEN  Bo  WEEKS 

CLASS  OF  1886:  PKD.  THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNl\/ERSrTY 


OF  THE 

UMVERsmr  OF  mwm  ommA 

TIE  WEEKS  COMJECTKIM 

OF 

CAMUMANA 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 

■iPlllill 

00032690749 


This  book  must'  not 
be  token  from  the 
Library  building. 


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J^^^nu^  k.  ¥U/<L^ 


MEMORIALS 


OF 


SARAH    CHILDRESS    POLK 


WIFE   OF  THE   ELEVENTH   PRESIDENT 
OF  THE   UNITED   STATES 


BY 

ANSON  AND   FANNY  NELSON 


NEW    YORK 
ANSON   D.  F.  RANDOLPH   &   COMPANY 

(INCORPORATED) 

182    Fifth    Avenue 


Copyright,  1892, 

By  Anson  D.  F.  Randolph  &  Company. 

(incorporated.) 


f        ^ 


SEniijersitg  ^Drcss: 
John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge. 


Round  the  white  pillar  of  her  name  it  grew, 
This  little  vine  of  memory^  leal  and  true; 
With  clasping  tendrils  and  with  clustering  leaves, 
A  si??iple  chaplet  to  her  worth  it  weaves. 
Who  does  not  joy  with  wreathen  love  to  ci'own 
The  gentle  soul  who  nobly  wins  renown  ? 


PREFATORY    NOTE. 


MANY  sketches  and  articles  concerning  Mrs. 
Polk  were  written  during  the  long  period 
of  her  appearance  in  public,  and  also  in  the  years 
when  she  lived  in  comparative  seclusion.  It  is 
deemed  fitting,  however,  that  a  more  full  and  con- 
nected account  of  her  life  should  now  be  given, 
not  only  to  those  who  were  her  familiar  friends  and 
acquaintance,  but  to  the  many  others  in  all  parts  of 
the  country  who,  through  a  long  period  of  years 
have  looked  up  to  her  as  a  type  of  true  woman- 
hood. For  this  labor  of  love  the  writers  have  had 
abundant  opportunity,  in  the  course  of  a  long  ac- 
quaintance, to  observe  minutely  her  life,  character, 
and  methods  of  thought  in  weekly  visits  made  to 
Polk  Place,  which  for  more  than  thirty  years  were 
interrupted  only  by  sickness  or  by  occasional  ab- 
sence from  the  city,  together  with  tree  access  to  all 
the  materials  necessary  to  make  up  the  present 
narrative. 

Mrs.  Polk's  example  of  womanly  purity  and  dig- 
nity is  a  valuable  legacy  to  the  country.  Her 
modesty,    her    self-control,    her    unpretentious    de- 


vi  PREFATORY  NOTE. 

meaner  in  the  highest  station,  her  jealous  care  for 
the  rights  and  feeHngs  of  others,  her  unfaihng  re- 
spect for  the  simple  yet  grand  institutions  of  the 
country,  and  her  unbroken  reverence  for  all  things 
sacred,  are  models  worthy  of  imitation  by  all  her 
countrywomen. 

In  endeavoring  to  set  forth  a  simple,  yet  faithful 
and  true  semblance  of  Mrs.  Polk,  nothing  has  been 
said  that  did  not  seem  to  add  to  the  delineation. 
Many  apparently  trifling  incidents  have  been  put  in 
as  touches  to  give  tone  and  softening  and  round- 
ness to  the  picture,  which  might  otherwise  appear 
bare  or  crude.  The  bits  of  history  and  biography 
interspersed  in  the  narrative  also  seemed  needful  as 
a  proper  background  to  the  portrait. 


CONTENTS. 


PREFATORY   NOTE 


CHAPTER   I. 

Birth  and  Parentage.  —  At  School  in  Nashville.  —  Mora- 
vian School  at  Salem,  North  Carolina.  —  The  Journey- 
there.  —  Romantic  Scenery.  —  Customs  at  that  Old 
School.  —  Suddenly  called  Home i 

CHAPTER   n. 

Mr.  Polk.  —  His  Ancestors.  —  Elected  to  the  Legislature. 

—  Courtship  and  Marriage.  —  Aaron  V.  Brown.  —  .Fes- 
tivities after  the  Wedding.  —  Columbia,  the  future 
Home  of  Mrs.  Polk.  —  Her  Mother.  —  The  Lafayette 
Ball  in  Nashville  in  1S25.  —  The  Tickets  to  the  Fete. 

—  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  present 13 

CHAPTER    111. 

Mr.  Polk's  Character  and  Profession.  —  Elected  to  Con- 
gress. —  Mrs.  Polk's  First  Visit  to  Washington.  — 
Forest  Trees  and  Mountain  Scenery.  —  How  Members 
of  Congress  lived  at  the  Capital  in  Early  Days.  —  Mrs. 
Adams.  —  Return    Home.  —  Back   again.  —  Fourteen 


VIU  CONTENTS. 

FAGB 

Years  in  Washington.  —  Different  Routes.  —  Incident. 

—  Letter  from  Mr.  Polk  to  his  Wife. —  The  Meteoric 
Display  in  1833.  — The  Artist  Earle.  —  First  Portrait 
of  Mrs.  Polk.  —  Currency.  —  Mrs.  Polk's  Ideas  about 
Specie  and  Paper  Money .23 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Mrs.  Polk  unites  with  the  Church.  —  How  to  keep  Poli- 
ticians away  on  Sunday.  —  Companions  of  I\Irs.  Polk. 

—  Notable  Women.  —  New  Year's  Calls.  —  The  Black 
Hawk  War.  —  South  Carolina  Nullification.  —  Mrs. 
Polk's  Idea  of  Propriety.  —  Never  attended  a  Horse 
Race.  —  Mr.  Polk's  Influence  over  his  Wife.  —  Leader 
of  the  Jackson  Party  in  the  House.  —  Elected  Speaker 
of  the  House  of  Representatives.  —  Mrs.  Seaton.  — 
Mrs.  Polk's  Discretion.  —  Franklin  Pierce.  —  Gales  and 
Seaton.  —  Leaving  Washington.  —  Mrs.  Polk  and  Mem- 
bers of  the  Supreme  Court.  —  Poem  by  Judge  Story     .     41 

CHAPTER   V. 

At  Home  again.  —  Exciting  Campaign  for  Governor.  — 
Mr.  Polk  elected.  —  Judge  Guild's  Account  of  a  Po- 
litical Love  Feast.  —  Mrs.  Polk's  Neighbors.  —  The 
Capitol  of  Tennessee.  —  Entertaining  the  General  As- 
sembly. —  Mr.  Polk  defeated  for  Governor.  —  Mrs. 
Polk's  Aid  to  her  Husband.  —  Trip  to  Mississippi. — 
Visit  from  Ex-President  Van  Buren.  —  Another  Can- 
vass. —  Dr.  J,  G.  M.  Ramsey.  —  Again  defeated  by 
Governor  Jones si 

CHAPTER  VL 

Mr.  Polk  elected  President.  —  How  he  received  the 
News.  —  The    Contest   in   Tennessee.  —  His    Friends 


CONTENTS.  IX 

PAGE 

rejoicing.  —  Anecdote  of  Mrs.  Polk.  —  Last  Interview 
with  General  Jackson.  —  Journey  to  Washington.— 
Welcome  all  along  the  Route.  — Col.  V.  K.  Steven- 
son. —  Incident  at  the  Relay  House.  —  Mr.  Polk 
chooses  his  Cabinet.  —  The  Inauguration.  —  A  Na- 
tional Fan.  —  The  Bible  on  which  the  Oath  was 
taken.  —  Inauguration  Ball.  —  The  New  Mistress  of 
the  White  House. —  The  President  refuses  all  Gifts 
of  Value.  — John  C.  Calhoun  tendered  the  Mission 
to  England.  —  Reasons  for  declining  told  to  Mrs. 
Polk.  —  Ladies  of  the  Diplomatic  Circle.  —  Attending 
Church.  —  Dancing  discontinued  at  the  White  House. 

—  The  Effect.  —  Mrs.  Madison  and  Mrs.  Polk.  — 
Weekly  Receptions.  —  Mrs.  Polk  lightening  her  Hus- 
band's Labors.  —  Letter  from  Associate  Justice  Catron. 

—  Reflections  of  the  President  on  his  Fiftieth  Birth- 
day. —  Observance  of  the  Sabbath 73 


CHAPTER   VII. 

Mrs.  Polk  on  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  —  Recep- 
tion on  the  4th  of  July,  1846.  —  Mrs.  Polk's  Considera- 
tion for  an  aged  and  humble  Visitor.  —  Flowers 
scarce.  —  Mrs.  Polk  declines  to  take  them  from  Patent 
Office  Grounds.  —  Her  Hospitality  at  the  White  House. 

—  Mr.  Polk's  Letter  to  his  Mother  on  Christmas  Day. 

—  Tour  in  the  Northern  and  Eastern  States.  —  Mrs. 
Polk  returns  to  Tennessee.  —  The  President's  Letter 
to  his  Wife  about  the  Trip.  —  Postscript  by  Hon. 
James  Buchanan. —  Decision  to  settle  down  in  Nash- 
ville.—Home  purchased.  —  Illness  of  Mrs.  Polk. — 
Dining  at  the  White  Hous3,  and  some  of  the  Ladies 
present.  —  Comments  on  the  Table  by  a  Visitor.— 
Col.  Thomas  H.  Benton.  —  Mrs.  Polk's  Answer.— 
Anecdotes  of  Daniel  Webster  and  Henry  Clay,  at  the 


X  COXTENTS. 

PAGE 

Dinner  Table.  —  Hon.  Charles  J.  IngersoU's  Solicitude 
for  the  Health  of  the  President.  —  Close  of  the  Mexi- 
can War.  —  Notes  from  Mrs.  Polk  to  her  Husband. 
—  Healy  paints  Mrs.  Polk's  Portrait.  —  Gas  introduced 
into  the  White  House.  —  Letter  from  the  President  to 
his  Mother.  —  An  Acrostic.  —  Tribute  from  Mrs.  Ann 
S.  Stephens  to  Mrs.  Polk.  —  Last  Reception  at  the 
White  House.  —  Last  State  Dinner.  —  Farewell  to  Mrs. 
Polk.  —  Last  Sunday  at  Church 97 

CHAPTER   VIIL 

Departure  from  Washington.  —  Reception  at  the  Capital 
of  Virginia.  —  Arrival  at  Wilmington.  —  Charleston.  — 
Savannah.  —  The  Chatham  Artillery.  —  Macon.  —  Co- 
lumbus. —  Montgomery.  —  Unique  Reception  at  Mo- 
bile.—  New  Orleans.  —  Hasty  Leave  on  Account  of 
Cholera.  —  Illness  of  Mr.  Polk.  —  Detained  at  Smith- 
land. —  Arrival  at  Nashville. — Visits  to  Relatives 
in  Murfreesborough  and  Columbia.  —  Settled  at 
Nashville 125 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Polk  Place.  —  Furniture  and  Pictures.  —  Portrait  of 
Hernando  Cortez.  —  General  Worth.  —  Portraits  of 
distinguished  Men.  —  Inaugural  Addresses.  —  Books 
and  Canes.  —  Mr.  Polk  taken  111.  —  Provision  for 
his  Wife's  Comfort.  —  Attention  of  Friends  to  the 
Ex-President.  —  His  Physicians.  —  Bishop  Otey.  — 
Rev.  Dr.  Edgar.  —  Received  into  the  Methodist 
Church  by  Rev.  Mr.  McFerrin.  —  The  End. ---The 
Funeral  and  the  Sermon.  —  Impressions  in  Early  Life 
by  a  Sermon  at  a  Camp-Meeting.  —  Sympathy  for  the 
Bereaved  Wife.  —  Letter  from  Hon.  William  L.  Marcy 
of   New  York.  —  Removal  of  the   Remains  from  tlie 


CONTENTS.  XI 


PAGE 


City  Cemetery  to  the  Tomb  at  Polk  Place.  —  The 
Tomb  and  Inscription.  —  Extract  from  Mr.  Polk's 
Will 139 

CHAPTER   X. 

A  Child  at  Polk  Place.  —  Marriage  of  Miss  Sallie  Polk 
Jetton  to  Mr.  George  W.  Fall.  —  Miss  Saidee  Fall.  — 
Mrs.  Polk  changes  her  Church  Membership  from 
Columbia  to  Nashville.  —  Visits  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly and  other  Bodies.  —  Bishops  Green  and  Otey. — 
Contributions  to  the  Tennessee  Historical  Society    .     .159 


CHAPTER    XL 

The  Civil  War.  —  The  Federal  Army  enters  Nashville. 
—  Mrs.  Polk  "At  Home.'- —Visit  of  Major  General 
Buell  and  other  notable  Commanders.  —  Witty  Reply 
of  a  Colored  Man.  —  General  Thomas.  —  General 
Grant.  —  General  Sherman.  —  General  Lytle.  — Valua- 
bles deposited  at  Polk  Place  for  Safe  Keeping.  — 
Mrs.  Polk's  Financial  Losses.  —  Eloquent  Speech  of 
Col.  Bailie  Peyton 167 


CHAPTER    Xn. 

Visit  of  the  General  Assembly. — Senator  Gibson. — 
Col.  Robert  I.  Chester.  —  National  Association  of 
Teachers.  —  General  Eaton.  —  Ex-Governor  Foote.  — 
The  National  Centennial  at  Philadelphia.  —  Mrs.  Polk 
declines  courteous  Invitations  to  be  present.  —  She 
loves  her  Home.  —  Her  active  Mind.  —  American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science.  —  Profes- 
sor Newcomb's  beautiful  Introduction.  —  Dr.  J.  Ber- 
rien  Lindsley  replies.  —  National  Association  of  Fire 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

^  PAGE 

i^ngineers.  —  Ex-President  Hayes  and  Wife.  —  Secre- 
tary Evarts  and  Daughters.  —  Col.  Wade  Hampton. — 
They  visit  Col.  E.  W.  Cole  and  Wife.  —  General  S.  F. 
Carey  of  Ohio.  —  Judge  Hoadley  and  Charles  O'Con- 
or. —  Centennial  of  the  City  of  Nashville. — Honors 
to  IVIrs.  Polk.  —  Call  of  Senator  Bayard  and  Daughters 
and  Senator  Gorman.  —  Letter  from  Rev.  Dr.  F.  W. 
E.  Peschau  of  Wilmington.  —  Extract  from  his  Ad- 
dress before  the  Historical  Society  of  North  Carolina, 
concerning  Mrs.  Polk.  —  His  poetic  Tribute.  —  Mrs. 
Polk's  Reverence.  —  Hon.  Simon  Cameron.  —  Pen- 
Portrait  of  Mrs.  Polk.  —  Dr.  Gross.  —  Governor  Crit- 
tenden and  Party.  —  Interview  of  a  Banner  Reporter. 
■ —  Old  Campaigns.  —  New  England  Press  Association. 
—  Speech  of  Rev.  F.  S.  Hatch 179 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

Visitors.  —  Phi  Delta  Theta  Society.  —  National  Grange. 

—  Hon.  Samuel  J.  Randall  and  Wife.  —  Rev.  Dr.  Henry 
M.  Field. —  Senator  Sherman.  —  Hon.  George  Ban- 
croft. —  Polk  Place.  —  Mr.  Bancroft  visits  many  Places 
of  Interest.  —  Speech  to  the  Tennessee  Historical  So- 
ciety. —  Ex-President  Cleveland  and  Wife.  —  W.  C. 
T.  U.  —  Miss  Frances  E.  Willard  and  others. —  The 
Sculptor  Valentine.  —  The  Evangelist  Sayford.  — 
Thomas  Nelson  Page.  —  Mrs.  Juliana  Hayes.  —  Miss 
Anna  T.  Ballentine.  —  Bible  presented.  —  Mrs.  Naomi 
Hays  Moore.  —  The  Polk  Escutcheon.  —  Mrs.  Polk 
opens  the  Centennial  Exposition  at  Cincinnati  from 
Polk  Place.  —  Her  Humility.  —  Distinguished  New 
Yorkers.  —  Dr.  Field  and  Mr.  Bancroft.  —  Healy's 
Portrait  of  Mr.  Polk  copied  by  Miss  Zollicoffer.  —  The 
Scotch-Irish  Congress.  —  Col.  A.  K.  McClure  and  Wife. 

—  Librarians  from  the   New  England  States.  —  Ohio 


COXTENTS.  xiii 


PAGE 


Editors.  —  American  Medical  Association.  —  Ex-Gov- 
ernor Emory  of  Massachusetts.  —  Rev.  Mr.  Miller  of 
Princeton.  —  Professor  A.  P.  Bourland  and  the  Peabody 
Normal  School 203 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

Portrait  for  the  White  House.  —  Portraits  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Polk.  —  The  Ex-President's  Watch.  —  Watch  of 
General  Washington  and  General  Lee.  —  Pension  to 
iMrs.  Polk.  —  Ex-Governor  Aaron  V.  Brown.  —  Sonnet 
by  Ben  D.  House.  —  Anecdote  of  Associate  Justice 
Catron.  —  Fourscore  Years.  —  Birthday  remembered 
by  Friends.  —  Fading  away.  —  Ladies'  Religious  Parior 
Meetings.  —  Mrs.  Polk's  Comments.  —  A  notable  old 
Sermon  on  Duelling.  —  Mrs.  Polk's  Love  of  talking 
about  her  Husband.  —  Applications  for  small  Favors. 
—  Her  Interest  in  Public  Aif airs 231 


CHAPTER   XV. 

Mrs.  Madison  and  Mrs.  Polk.  —  Holding  Office  in  the 
Olden  Time.  —  Log  Cabin  where  Mr.  Polk  was  born. 

—  Mrs.  Polk's  Love  of  the  Scriptures.—  Her  Moderate 
Eating.  —  She  attends  Church.  —  Anecdote  of  M.  de 
Bodisco.  —  Francis  Scott  Key.  —  Invitation  to  the  Mar- 
riage of  President  Cleveland.  —  Incident  of  eariy  Mar- 
ried Life.  —  Saidee  goes  to  Europe.  —  Women  Workers. 

—  Rev.  Dr.  Riddle.  —  Dr.  Rubey.  —  A  costly  Fan.  — 
Mrs.  J.  R.  Brown's  Account  of  an  Incident  in  1844.  — 
Eighty-sixth  Birthday.  —  Letter  from  Mr.  Bancroft.  — 
Mrs.  Polk  declines  giving  Recommendations.  —  Son- 
net. —  Early  Friends.  —  Various  Remarks  of  Mrs. 
Polk.  —  Anecdote.  —  Eighty-seven.  —  Rev.  Dr.  W^hit- 
sitt.  -~  Mrs.  Ex-Governor  Perry.  —  Judge   Lea's   New 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Year's  Greeting.  —  Visit  to  his  Father  in  the  Thirties. 
—  Mayor  of  Nashville.  —  Incidents.  —  Illness  of  Mrs. 
Polk. — Marriage  of  Miss  Fall 249 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Growing  feebler.  —  Illness. —  Last  Words.  —  The  End. 
—  Tolling  of  Bells.  — Flags  at  Half-Mast.  —  General 
Mourning  in  the  City.  —  Telegrams.  —  The  City  Pa- 
pers.—  Funeral  on  Sunday  Morning.  —  The  Entomb- 
ment.—  Letters  from  Friends.  —  The  Inscription  on 
the  Tomb. —  Letter  from  Miss  Frances  E.  Willard       .  271 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Page 
Portrait  of  Mrs.  Polk Frontispiece 

The  Inauguration  Fan 86 

The  President  and  Mrs.  Polk 99 

Fac-simile  of  one  of  Mrs.  Polk's  Letters      .     .  116 

Portrait  of  Mrs.  Polk 118 

Portrait  of  Ex-President  Polk 141 

Portrait  of  Hernando  Cortez 143 

Portrait  of  Mrs.  Polk 233 

Fac-simile  of  Letter  of  George  Bancroft      .     .  262 


SCHOOL    DAYS. 


SARAH    CHILDRESS    POLK. 


CHAPTER   I. 

1803-1819. 

QARAH  CHILDRESS  was  born  in  Rutherford 
*^  County,  Tennessee,  on  the  4th  of  September, 
1803,  in  the  country  home  of  her  parents,  Joel  and 
EHzabeth  Childress.  Her  mother  was  a  Whitsitt, 
and  belonged  to  a  large  family,  well  known  in  this 
and  other  States.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Childress  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Middle  Tennessee,  and 
were  persons  of  high  standing  in  those  days,  when 
character  was  esteemed  for  its  intrinsic  merit,  and 
when  the  vision  of  the  people  was  less  confused 
with  the  glare  of  place  and  power  and  wealth  than 
now. 

Mr.  Childress  was  a  successful  man  of  business, 
and  possessed  uncommon  sagacity  and  rare  energy 
and  enterprise.  His  family  lived  in  the  ease  which 
a  competency  gives.     Their  dwelling  was  a  "  wooden 


2  BIRTH  AND  PARENTAGE. 

frame,"  but  it  was  as  good  and  comfortable  as  any 
country  house  at  that  time.  In  speaking  of  her 
parents,  Mrs.  Polk  often  said :  '*  At  that  early  day, 
they  had  limited  advantages  for  education,  but  were 
enterprising  and  industrious,  and  acquired  means 
and  property,  and  educated  their  children."  She 
also  expressed  the  thought  that  they  were  fully 
equal  to  the  people  of  the  present  age,  who  are 
better  instructed  and  more  widely  informed ;  inas- 
much as  in  making  good  use  of  all  the  aids  at  hand, 
their  minds  were  as  much  strengthened,  and  their 
judgment  as  true  and  unbiassed,  and  they  accom- 
plished in  reality  as  much  as  those  who  now  work 
with  the  help  of  a  wider  knowledge  and  experience. 
They  gave  to  their  sons  and  daughters  not  only 
the  material  benefit  of  wealth,  but  the  more  substan- 
tial and  precious  possession  of  an  excellent  educa- 
tion, the  heritage  of  a  good  name,  and  high  moral 
character. 

Murfreesborough,  the  county  seat,  was  about  two 
miles  distant.  It  had,  at  that  time,  only  a  Presby- 
terian church,  a  tavern,  and  a  few  stores  and  shops. 
As  is  usual  in  small  towns,  the  tavern  was  not  very 
attractive,  and  Mr.  Childress  often  asked  his  friends 
who  were  staying  in  Murfreesborough  to  spend  the 
night  at  his  house.  Among  those  who  were  fre- 
quently the  recipients  of  his  thoughtful  hospitality 


BIRTH  AXD   PARENTAGE.  3 

were  Judge  Felix  Grundy,  Judge  Overton,  Mr. 
Trimble,  and  other  lawyers  and  men  of  reputation. 
One  year  Judge  Crabb  was  his  guest  during  the 
entire  term  of  the  court,  and  Mrs.  Crabb  was  also 
there  a  part  of  the  time.  When  they  returned  to 
Nashville  they  took  with  them  Mr.  Childress's  two 
daughters,  that  the  little  girls  might  enjoy  a  visit 
to  another  town. 

Canon  Farrar  says :  "  Anecdotes  of  infancy,  inci- 
dents of  childhood,  indications  of  future  greatness 
in  boyish  years,  are  a  very  rare  phenomenon  in 
ancient  literature."  Sarah  Childress's  early  youth 
was  passed  in  tranquillity  and  happiness.  It  was 
like  the  easy  and  blissful  life  of  him  concerning 
whom  King  Solomon  wrote :  "  He  shall  not  much 
remember  the  days  of  his  life;  because  God  answer- 
eth  him  in  the  joy  of  his  heart." 

There  were  at  that  time  a  few  good  schools  for 
boys  in  Tennessee,  but  the  education  of  girls  was 
left  to  the  wisdom  of  their  parents,  and  to  the  few 
teachers  that  attempted  the  work  here  and  there. 
In  various  parts  of  the  country  there  was  still  found 
the  fast-fading  remnant  of  that  false  and  injurious 
opinion,  once  almost  universal,  that  a  girl  does  not 
need  a  thorough  education.  It  was  thought  that 
all  learning  above  the  necessary  attainments  of  read- 
ing, writing,  and  the  first  principles  of  arithmetic. 


4  EARL  V  SCHOOL   DA  YS. 

was  absolutely  hurtful,  disqualifying  her  for  the 
obvious  duties  of  her  station,  —  the  care  of  the 
household.  For  a  short  time  the  two  girls,  Sarah 
and  her  sister  Susan,  went  with  their  brothers  to 
the  common  school.  Subsequently  their  parents 
ensraeed  the  services  of  Mr.  Samuel  P.  Black,  the 
principal  of  the  Murfreesborough  Academy,  a 
school  for  boys.  He  gave  them  lessons  in  the 
afternoon,  when  the  exercises  of  the  Academy  were 
over  for  the  day.  They  used  the  blackboard,  and 
maps  and  globes,  and  were  thoroughly  drilled  in 
the  difficult  beginnings  of  learning. 

When  Sarah  was  twelve  or  thirteen  years  old  she 
and  her  sister  were  sent  to  Nashville,  to  attend  the 
private  school  of  Mr.  Abercrombie,  a  noted  teacher 
of  that  day.  They  also  took  lessons  on  the  piano 
from  his  daughter.  This  was  a  rare  accomplish- 
ment for  that  early  time,  the  facilities  for  which 
gave  a  peculiar  reputation  to  the  school. 

General  Jackson  was  then  living  in  Nashville. 
He  was  in  the  zenith  of  his  military  glory,  and  his 
adopted  city  rejoiced  in  the  lustre  reflected  upon 
her  by  this  distinguished  citizen.  The  little  pupils 
were  boarding  in  the  family  of  Colonel  Butler,  one 
of  his  staff  officers,  and  so  saw  him  frequently.  Mrs. 
Polk  remembered  distinctly  a  very  brilliant  ball  in 
the  General's  house,  at  which  she  was  a  guest. 


EARLY  SCHOOL  DAYS.  5 

An  elderly  lady  who  a  few  years  since  appealed 
to  Mrs.  Polk  for  sympathy  in  her  desire  that  the 
simplicity  and  plain  dressing  of  olden  times  should 
be  restored,  was  surprised  by  the  reply  that  she  had 
never  practised  the  severe  plainness  of  which  the 
lady  spoke ;  that  from  her  earliest  recollection  she 
had  been  dressed  in  silks  and  satins  of  delicate 
texture,  in  beautiful  designs  and  colors,  and  had 
never  known,  even  in  childhood,  what  it  was  to  be 
simply  clothed,  or  to  long  for  splendor  of  raiment, 
having  always  possessed  it.  She  did  not  believe 
that  the  apparel  in  old  times  was  plainer  than  it  is 
now,  but  that  the  means  to  possess  this  luxury  were 
then  limited  to  fewer  individuals. 

After  a  year  or  two  spent  in  home  study  and 
private  lessons,  and  when  Sarah  was  about  fifteen 
years  old,  she  was  sent  with  her  sister  to  the  Mora- 
vian Female  Academy  in  Salem,  North  Carolina. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Childress  desired  their  daughters  to 
have  the  advantage  of  a  large  school,  not  only  in 
its  more  comprehensive  course  of  study,  but  in 
that  deeper,  keener,  intellectual  quickening  that 
comes  from  fellowship  in  culture. 

The  little  town  of  Salem  was  founded  by  the  So- 
ciety of  the  United  Brethren,  about  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  under  the  direction  of  Count 
Zinzendorf,  from  whom  it  received  its  name,  mean- 


6  THE  ACADEMY  AT  SALEM. 

ing  "  peace."  The  "  quaint,  quiet,  green  old  town" 
lies  a  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  in  an 
undulating,  beautifully  wooded  country.  "  From 
the  more  elevated  points,  not  remote  from  this 
unique  town,  the  Pilot  Mountain  may  be  seen, 
with  its  castellated  peak,  rising  three  hundred  feet 
above  the  shoulders  of  the  mountain,  and  bearing 
a  striking  resemblance  to  an  antiquated  Gothic 
castle,  such  as  greets  the  eye  on  the  Rhine ;  and 
still  beyond,  on  a  clear  day,  the  practised  eye  can 
detect  the  steel-blue  rim  of  the  remoter  mountain 
ranges  that  form  such  a  conspicuous  feature  in 
Western  North  Carolina.  There  still  the  old 
town  of  Salem  stands,  with  its  antique  dwellings, 
tile  roofs,  low  eaves,  and  cramped  little  attics, 
unchanged  in  many  of  its  aspects  amid  all  the 
changes  that  have  occurred  around  it.  There  it 
stands,  with  its  primitive  customs,  its  peculiar  re- 
ligious services,  its  pious  Moravian  Brethren,  its 
benevolent  institutions."  ^ 

Here  stood  the  Female  Academy,  a  healthful 
and  peculiarly  suitable  retreat  for  the  calm  and 
studious  life  of  young  girls.  Under  the  charge 
of  this  religious  society,  of  acknowledged  piety 
and  elevation  of  character,  the  great  usefulness 
and  success  of  the  Salem  Academy  were  assured, 
1  Rev.  J.  E.  Edwards. 


THE  ACADEMY  AT  SALEM.  7 

as  its  nine  long  decades  have  proved.  Many  of 
its  pupils  had  braved  the  toils  and  dangers  of  a 
long  journey  to  share  in  its  advantages.  *'The 
only  uniform  worn  by  the  pupils  in  this  old 
Moravian  school  was  a  neat  and  closely  fitting 
lace  cap.  It  was  a  striking  feature.  Sweet,  ruddy 
faces  peered  out  from  the  quilted  borders  of  this 
handsome  and  decidedly  tasteful  piece  of  head- 
gear. That  of  the  larger  girls  was  trimmed  with 
white  ribbon,  the  smaller  girls  with  pink.  It  was 
a  beautiful  spectacle  on  Examination-Day,  as  the 
annual  closing  day  of  the  session  was  called,  to 
see  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  girls, 
dressed  in  white,  with  flowing  sashes  and  flaunt- 
ing ribbons,  and  each  attired  with  the  tidy  cap, 
marching  in  procession  from  the  Academy  to  the 
church."  ^ 

Upon  their  starting,  Mr.  Childress  gave  to  each 
of  his  daughters  a  French  gold  coin,  a  louis  d'or, 
worth  about  four  dollars  and  eighty-four  cents,  as 
a  parting  gift.  This  piece  of  money,  so  likely  to 
find  its  way  speedily  into  other  hands,  Mrs.  Polk 
preserved  through  many  years  and  vicissitudes, 
until  the  end  of  her  life,  and  it  is  now  a  much- 
prized  relic. 

The  young  girls  traversed  the  hundreds  of  miles 
1  Rev.  J.  E.  Edwards. 


8  THE  ACADEMY  AT  SALEM. 

between  Murfreesborough  and  Salem  on  horseback, 
escorted  by  their  elder  brother,  Anderson  Childress, 
and  attended  by  a  trusty  man-servant  who  carried 
their  portmanteaus  on  his  horse.  He  belonged  to 
a  class  no  longer  in  existence.  In  the  domestic 
economy  of  those  times,  which  the  vast  changes 
wrought  in  the  last  thirty-odd  years  have  con- 
signed to  the  past,  among  the  slaves  of  every 
rich  man  there  could  be  found  some  intelligent 
and  faithful  ones  who  possessed  the  implicit  confi- 
dence of  their  master  and  friend. 

Such  a  trip  in  these  days  of  swift  and  easy  travel, 
more  than  seventy  years  afterward,  would  seem  like 
a  series  of  romantic  adventures.  But  it  would  be 
a  romance  from  which  the  exciting  element  of 
danger  was  eliminated,  leaving  it  gently  stirring 
and  thoroughly  agreeable.  Far  different  were  the 
circumstances  forty  or  fifty  years  still  earlier,  when 
the  pioneers  of  Middle  Tennessee,  dauntless  and 
heroic,  were  journeying  through  this  wilderness  to 
the  land  which  loomed  before  their  prophetic  eyes 
like  an  enchanting  mirage,  blooming  as  a  garden 
of  roses,  remote  in  time,  not  space.  Then  they 
were  shadowed  by  the  Indians,  and  often  assaulted, 
suffering  the  severest  privations  and  hard- 
ships. It  was  not  so  with  our  young  travellers, 
who  had  nothing  to  fear  from  the  rude  and  cruel 


THE  ACADEMY  AT  SALEM.  9 

warriors  of  the  forest,  and  to  whose  youthful  and 
inexperienced  fancy,  the  cool,  green  shades  on 
either  side  of  the  road  suggested  only  pleasant 
visions  of  noonday  rest  and  refreshment. 

No  views  are  more  varied  and  picturesque  than 
those  through  which  their  way  was  taken.  It  lay 
over  a  rolling  country,  with  charming  views  of  hill 
and  dale;  and  through  woods  thickly  peopled  with 
the  descendants  of  the  ancient  families  of  oak, 
beech,  hickory,  walnut,  cedar,  wild-cherry,  willow, 
and  many  others  radiant  in  rustling  garments  of 
every  shade  of  green,  and  with  branches  bending 
to  the  whisperings  of  the  wind.  There  was  the 
stir  of  many  kinds  of  animal  life;  the  hum  of 
insects ;  the  clear,  sweet  notes  of  birds  flitting 
hither  and  thither  in  gleaming  plumage;  the  soft 
beauty  of  sky;  and  the  indescribable  variety  and 
charm  which  nature  bestows  in  the  favored  climate 
of  Tennessee  and  North  Carolina.  The  forests  were 
already  decking  themselves  in  color  when  our  little 
travellers  rode  through  them.  After  riding  all  day 
some  friendly  farmhouse  would  give  them  shelter 
and  rest,  and  the  knowledge  of  a  domestic  life 
entirely  new  to  them.  They  crossed  the  broad, 
beautiful,  majestic  Holston,  now  the  Tennessee 
river;    the  wild,  picturesque  French  Broad,  which 


10  THE  ACADEMY  AT  SALEM. 

tlie  Indians  called  the  Tahkeeostee  river;  and 
other  streams,  smaller  but  not  less  pleasing  in 
their  gracefulness. 

An  entirely  new  and  different  life  awaited  Sarah 
and  her  sister  in  their  transient  home  in  the  Salem 
Academy.  The  hush  and  method  of  a  large  school, 
the  lessons  learned  with  the  stimulus  of  the  small 
world  of  students,  the  pleasant  walks  and  talks 
with  many  new  friends,  congenial  and  beloved, 
the  daily  services  for  prayer  and  divine  guidance, 
all  helped  to  mould  the  growing  character  of  Sarah 
Childress.  On  Sunday  morning,  the  girls  met  in 
their  respective  class-rooms  to  receive  what  was 
called  Bible  instruction.  A  verse  from  Scripture 
to  be  memorized  had  been  assigned  the  previous 
Sunday,  and  it  was  expected  that  the  chapter  from 
which  that  verse  was  taken  would  be  read  by  the 
pupils  in  their  rooms  during  the  week.  After  the 
recitation  by  each  one  in  turn,  the  entire  chapter 
was  read  aloud  and  commented  on  by  the  teacher. 

In  after  years  one  of  the  teachers  wrote  as  fol- 
lows:  "  Let  us  recall  some  of  our  own  peculiar  and 
particular  enjoyments.  As  the  end  of  the  year 
drew  near,  busy  hands  and  heads  were  occupied 
in  preparing  for  the  Christmas  times,  — the  decora- 
tions,   the    dialogues,   all    having    reference    to   the 


THE   ACADEMY  AT  SALEM.  II 

babe  in  Bethlehem's  manger,  whose  birth  we  were 
commemorating.  Then  came  the  old  year's  clos- 
ing meeting,  held  in  our  Academy  Chapel,  fol- 
lowed by  the  watch-meeting  at  midnight  in  the 
church,  which  we  attended  with  the  Salem  con- 
gregation, and  a  few  hours  later  the  New  Year's 
sermon  in  the  morning." 

While  at  school  in  Salem,  Sarah  did  a  little  piece 
of  needle-work  which  she  fortunately  kept  during 
all  the  succeeding  years.  It  is  the  picture  of  a  tomb 
gleaming  white  through  the  foliage  of  surrounding 
trees,  and  is  worked  in  chenille  o\\  a  white  satin 
ground.  It  is  skilfully  and  delicately  done,  the 
different  shades  of  green,  brown,  and  yellow  blend- 
ing naturally.  In  later  life  Mrs.  Polk  herself  called 
attention  to  a  resemblance  which  struck  us  as  having 
in  it  something  prophetic.  It  bears  a  remarkable 
likeness  to  the  tomb  in  the  garden  on  the  east  of  the 
house,  in  full  view  of  her  chamber  window,  which 
for  more  than  forty  years  was  the  reminder  of  her 
joys  and  sorrows,  and  which  became,  as  the  months 
glided  by,  her  daily  reminder  of  the  blissful  reunion 
awaiting  her  in  the  near  future. 

These  tranquil  days  of  study,  of  girlish  dreamings 
and  anticipations,  came  suddenly  to  an  end.  Sarah 
and  her  sister  were  called  home  by  the  illness  and 


12  THE   ACADEMY  AT  SALEM. 

death  of  their  father.  They  did  not  return  to  the 
Academy,  and  Sarah  occupied  herself  with  the  duties 
of  home  and  social  life,  and  with  the  sacred  charge 
of  helping  to  comfort  her  mother. 

Mr.  Childress  left  a  good  estate  to  his  family. 


HOME    LIFE    AND    MARRIAGE. 


CHAPTER   II. 

1820-1825. 

^  I  ^HERE  were  many  friends  and  admirers  who 
-■■  sought  the  companionship  and  a  share  in 
the  sunny  society  of  Mrs.  Childress's  household. 
Among  them  was  James  Knox  Polk,  whose  ances- 
tors came  to  America  from  the  north  of  Ireland, 
early  in  the  eighteenth  century.  Their  name  was 
originally  Pollock,  but  the  wearing  action  of  pro- 
nunciation reduced  it  in  the  course  of  time  to 
Poll'k,  and  finally  to  the  present  name.  Mr.  Polk 
was  born  in  Mecklenburg  County,  North  Carolina, 
November  2,  1795,  and  came  to  Tennessee  with  his 
father's  family  in  early  life.  He  was  a  practitioner 
of  the  law,  and  at  that  time  principal  clerk  in  the 
senatorial  branch  of  the  legislature,  which  met  at 
Murfreesborough,  then  the  capital  of  the  State.  In 
the  public  estimation  he  was  a  young  man  of  mark, 
and  very  soon  after  was  elected  to  the  legislature 
to  represent  Maury  County,  the  place  of  his  resi- 
dence, and   was   subsequently  chosen   by  Governor 


1 6  HOME  LIFE  AND  MARRIAGE. 

Carroll  as  one  of  his  staff  officers.  He  was  then 
about  twenty-seven  years  old ;  very  youthful  in 
appearance,  but  with  a  fine  presence,  though  not 
commanding  in  stature.  With  quiet  manners,  he 
was  still  courteous  and  dignified.  His  own  high 
self-respect  and  unswerving  rectitude  were  shown  in 
the  respect  he  habitually  paid  to  the  rights  and  feel- 
ings of  others.  These  sterling  qualities  attained 
their  full  development  when  in  the  succeeding  years 
of  power  they  had  ample  room  to  expand,  and  their 
strength  and  beneficence  were  so  often  apparent. 

The  beauty  and  magnetic  presence  of  the  young 
girl,  whose  worth,  dignity,  and  modest  reserve,  tem- 
pered by  the  graces  of  playful  wit  and  ready  repartee, 
formed  so  striking  a  counterpart  or  complement  to 
his  own  character,  made  an  indelible  impression 
upon  the  young  lawyer.  His  labors  at  the  Court 
House  where  the  legislature  convened,  were  charm- 
ingly alternated  with  visits  to  iNIiss  Childress.  His 
attentions  were  favorably  received  and  ended  in  an 
engagement  of  marriage.  He  laughingly  said  to  her 
that  had  he  remained  the  clerk  of  the  legislature 
she  would  never  have  consented  to  marry  him  ! 

In  iS8o  Capt.  John  W.  Childress,  a  nephew  of 
Mrs.  Polk's,  presented  to  the  Tennessee  Historical 
Society  the  original  license  issued  by  the  clerk  of 
the  County  Court  of  Rutherford  County,  authorizing 


HOME   LIFE   AND   MARRIAGE.  ly 

the  celebration  of  the  marriage  relation  between 
James  Knox  Polk  and  Sarah  Childress.  On  Thurs- 
day evening,  the  ist  of  January,  1824,  the  marriage 
ceremony  was  performed  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henderson, 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

A  numerous  company  of  guests  did  honor  to  the 
occasion,  and  it  was,  as  a  great-granddaughter  of 
Mrs.  Childress  says,  "  a  large  country  wedding." 
One  of  that  merry  gathering,  Mrs.  Daniel  Graham, 
who  was  Miss  Maria  Mclver,  and  at  whose  nuptials 
Mrs.  Polk  had  been  a  bridesmaid,  lived  to  see  the 
young  bride  attain  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  The 
bride  and  groom  were  attended  by  four  young 
couples,  among  whom  were  Aaron  V.  Brown  and 
Lucius  J.  Polk.  The  history  of  the  former  bears 
such  a  resemblance  to  that  of  Mr.  Polk,  that  it  was 
singularly  fitting  he  should  be  one  of  the  next  and 
best  friends  on  this  occasion.  They  were  both 
graduates  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina  at 
Chapel  Hill,  and  were  partners  in  the  practice  of  the 
law.  Mr.  Brown  was  often  a  member  of  the  Ten- 
nessee legislature,  and  a  representative  in  Congress 
five  or  six  years,  until  1845,  when  he  was  elected 
Governor  of  Tennessee.  In  1857  he  was  Postmaster- 
General  in  the  Cabinet  of  President  Buchanan.  In 
various  parts  of  the  country  he  w^as  frequently  men- 
tioned as  a  candidate  for  the  presidency.      His  life, 


1 8  HOME   LIFE   AXD   MARRL4GE. 

also,  was  cut  short  in  its  prime,  for  he  hved  not 
quite  ten  years  longer  than  his  illustrious  friend. 

F'estivities  in  honor  of  the  marriage  were  the  order 
of  the  day.  Friday  evening,  January  2,  a  large 
party  was  given  the  young  couple  at  Mrs.  Lytle's. 
The  bride  remembered  that  on  this  occasion  she 
wore  a  blue  embroidered  silk.  The  next  evening 
an  entertainment  took  place  at  the  house  of  Mrs. 
Dr.  Ruckcr,  the  sister  of  the  bride ;  and  on  JMonday 
evening  they  were  invited  to  a  large  party  at  Mrs. 
Wendell's.  Tuesday,  they  were  under  the  unpleas- 
ant necessity  of  declining  the  compliment  of  a 
dinner  at  Mrs.  McCullough's,  because  they  were 
obliged  to  leave  for  Columbia,  where  a  company  of 
guests  had  been  asked  by  the  parents  of  the  bride- 
groom to  meet  them  the  following  Thursday  even- 
ing. The  high  waters  usual  in  midwinter  made 
travelling  somewhat  difficult  and  uncertain,  and  it 
was  important,  therefore,  to  start  early,  that  they 
might  be  sure  to  arrive  in  time  to  receive  the  greet- 
inn^s  of  those  who  were  to  meet  in  their  honor  at 
Columbia. 

This  beautiful  town,  the  county  seat  of  Maury 
Count}',  "  the  garden  of  Tennessee,"  is  situated  in 
one  of  earth's  favored  regions,  and  is  as  fertile  as 
the  far-famed  blue-grass  counties  of  Kentucky. 
This  happy  spot  was  the  home  of  Mr.  Polk's  rela- 


HOME   LIFE   AND  MARRIAGE. 


19 


tives,  and  the  young  couple  lived  in  a  cottage  in 
their  midst,  the  bride  receiving  from  them  not  only 
agreeable  and  acceptable  attentions,  but  gentle  and 
affectionate  regard,  as  a  welcome  and  beloved  mem- 
ber of  her  husband's  family.  She  retained  their 
kind  consideration  as  long  as  they  lived. 

Surrounded  by  loving  friends,  the  honeymoon 
and  many  following  moons  passed  swiftly  away. 
Smoothly  and  noiselessly  the  social  and  domestic 
machinery  of  life  ran  on  with  its  innumerable 
wheels,  delicate  and  closely  interdependent,  and  the 
days  and  weeks  slipped  by  without  chronicle.  But 
the  wedded  pair  were  not  drifting  idly  with  the 
stream.  Their  character  gradually  expanded,  un- 
folded, and  rose  under  the  mutually  stimulating, 
helpful,  and  elevating  power  of  thoroughly  conge- 
nial daily  intercourse,  in  which  one  was  exactly 
complemented  by  the  other. 

After  the  marriage  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Chil- 
dress went  to  Murfreesborough,  exchanging  her  in- 
terest in  the  farm  for  a  house  and  lot  in  town. 
There  she  lived  until  her  death,  refusing  to  give  up 
the  old-fashioned  home  with  its  large  rooms  and 
ample  grounds,  for  the  more  modern  house  with 
modern  conveniences,  to  which  in  her  old  age  her 
children  urged  her  to  move. 

General    Lafayette   the   friend    of  the    American 


20  HOME  LIFE  AND   MARRIAGE. 

Colonies,  reached  Nashville  early  in  May,  1825, 
in  the  course  of  his  triumphal  progress  through  the 
United  States.  He  was  received  with  every  mark 
of  high  esteem,  and  a  few  days  after  his  arrival 
a  grand  ball  was  given  in  his  honor.  The  hotels 
were  overrun  with  visitors,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk 
were  entertained  at  the  house  of  their  friend,  Mr, 
John  Catron,  a  leading  lawyer  of  the  city.  The 
tickets  of  invitation,  which  had  been  sent  out  some 
weeks  before,  are  remarkably  elaborate  and  artistic 
for  the  capital  of  what  was  then  a  western  State,  so 
near  the  confines  of  civilization.  They  reveal  an 
enthusiastic  regard  for  the  magnanimous  foreigner 
who  had  done  so  much  for  our  country.  They 
were  printed  on  fine  paper,  eight  by  ten  inches. 
On  either  side  of  the  page  is  engraved  a  large  fluted 
column.  That  on  the  right  is  surmounted  with  a 
bust  of  Lafayette,  inscribed  with  his  name,  and  is 
intwined  with  a  broad  ribbon  on  which  are  the 
names  of  his  battles;  the  dates  1777-81  are  on  the 
base  of  the  pedestal,  around  which  lie  cannon,  balls, 
drums,  torches,  etc.  The  column  on  the  left  is 
similarly  decorated  with  a  bust  of  Jackson,  and  in- 
scribed with  the  names  of  his  battles,  bearing  the 
dates  1813-15.  These  pillars  are  united  by  a  strip 
of  sky  holding  the  thirteen  stars,  in  the  centre  of 
which  at  the  top  of  the  arch,  appears  the  blazing 


HOME   LIFE   AND   MARRIAGE.  21 

sun  with  the  date  "  ^'j6  "  in  the  disk.  The  strip  of 
sky  is  bounded  above  by  a  garland  of  oak-leaves  and 
acorns.  Just  beneath  the  sun  hovers  the  American 
eagle  with  the  familiar  emblems,  the  bunch  of 
arrows  and  the  branch  of  peace.  In  its  beak  is  a 
laurel  wreath  which  it  is  placing  upon  the  head  of 
Washington's  bust.  This  rests  upon  a  fluted  column 
rising  out  of  the  clouds,  and  is  surrounded  with 
guns,  spears,  swords,  banners,  and  the  cap  of  liberty. 
Below  are  the  words  in  large  capitals,  **  Welcome 
Lafayette  !  "  In  the  remaining  space  between  the 
pillars  is  printed  the  invitation  to  the  ball,  signed  by 
the  names  of  the  twelve  managers,  who  were  among 
the  chief  citizens  of  Nashville.  This  design,  full  of 
patriotic  pride,  w^as  the  work  of  R.  E.  W.  Earle, 
who  lived  at  the  Hermitage  and  painted  many  por- 
traits of  Jackson,  his  beloved  and  honored  patron. 
The  painter's  grave  is  only  a  few  feet  from  the  well- 
known  tomb  of  the  General,  and  is  covered  with  a 
slab  bearing  this  epitaph :  **  Artist,  Friend,  and 
Companion  of  General  Andrew  Jackson." 

The  bail  was  given  at  the  Nashville  Inn,  the 
principal  hotel,  and  among  those  present  were  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Polk,  who  had  come  from  Columbia  in 
honor  of  the  noble  Frenchman  and  revolutionary 
hero.  This  grand  entertainment  shared  the  usual 
fate  of  all  celebrations  prepared  on  so  extensive  a 


22  HOME   LIFE  AXD  MARRIAGE. 

scale.  The  most  vivid  remembrance  it  has  left  is 
not  of  the  distinguished  guests,  nor  of  the  brilliant 
assemblage,  nor  of  the  graceful  and  splendid  picture 
it  presented,  but  of  the  crowd  and  the  crush,  which 
were  so  uncomfortable  as  to  obscure  all  other 
recollections. 


A    WIDER    LIFE. 


CHAPTER   III. 

1825-1833. 

MR.  POLK  assiduously  attended  to  the  duties 
of  his  profession,  practising  law  in  the  courts 
of  Maury  and  the  adjoining  counties.  During  the 
long  periods  later  in  life  when  he  was  busily  engaged 
with  the  cares  of  government,  as  member  of  Con- 
gress or  Governor  of  Tennessee,  and  until  he  be- 
came President  of  the  United  States,  the  practice  of 
his  profession  was  only  suspended.  As  soon  as  his 
term  of  office  expired,  he  returned  with  ardor  to 
the  pursuit  of  his  chosen  calling.  It  was  one  of  his 
maxims  that  a  man  should  never  abandon  his  pro- 
fession, and  if  called  away  for  a  time,  should  return 
to  it  as  soon  as  possible. 

His  talents  and  force  of  character  continued  to 
win  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens  ; 
and  when  he  became  a  candidate  for  Congress  his 
active  canvass  was  successful.  In  1825  he  was 
elected  to  represent  the  district  composed  of  the 
counties  of  Giles,  Maury,  Lincoln,  and  Bedford,  in 


26  MR.   POLK'S   CANVASS. 

the  Congress  of  the  United  States.  This  was  a 
higli  distinction  at  that  time. 

The  Hon.  A.  O.  P.  Nicholson  had  ahvays  known 
Mr.  Polk.  "  They  were  near  neighbors,  belonged 
to  the  same  profession,  were  members  of  the  same 
political  family,  and  closely  identified  with  the  po- 
litical conflicts  of  each  successive  year."  In  the 
following  extract  Judge  Nicholson  speaks  of  that 
whereof  he  knew:  — 

"At  the  election  in  1825  Mr.  Polk  was  chosen 
a  member  of  Congress,  after  a  most  arduous  and 
warmly  contested  canvass.  In  this  canvass,  the 
peculiar  traits  of  his  character  were  prominently 
developed.  His  competitors  were  men  of  age,  ex- 
perience, and  intelligence.  He  was  young,  and 
comparatively  inexperienced  and  unknown.  It  was 
a  contest  to  be  decided  mainly  upon  personal 
popularity.  The  people  were  not  then  divided 
into  two  great  political  parties.  The  candidates 
all  professed  the  same  general  political  faith. 
The  chances  at  the  outset  were  decidedly  against 
him,  but  he  had  set  his  heart  upon  success,  and 
he  resolved  to  attain  it.  The  district  was  large, 
but  he  traversed  and  canvassed  it  again  and  again. 
Before  the  canvass  was  half  over  he  had  displayed 
so  much  activity  and  energy  in  his  movements,  and 
had   instilled   into   his   supporters    so    much   of  his 


MR.   POLK'S   CANVASS.  2'] 

own  ardent  zeal  that  he  was  regarded  by  each  of 
his  competitors  as  the  most  formidable  opponent. 
In  his  public  speeches  there  was  always  an  earnest- 
ness and  sincerity  of  manner  which  was  peculiarly 
impressive.  He  seemed  ever  to  feel  what  he  said, 
and  to  speak  with  an  animation  and  ardor  which 
flowed  from  his  heart.  This  was  the  secret  of  his 
success  as  a  popular  orator.  He  was  persuasive 
because  he  spoke  from  his  heart  as  well  as  from 
his  head.  His  superior  tact  in  illustrating  his 
positions  by  humorous  anecdotes,  of  which  he  had 
stored  away  in  his  capacious  memory  very  many, 
while  he  was  always  courteous  and  mild  and 
respectful,  aided  him  to  win  the  predilections  of 
his  hearers.  As  the  canvass  approached  its  termina- 
tion he  displayed  all  the  skill  of  a  veteran  general 
in  marshalling  his  forces  for  an  impending  battle. 
He  dashed  from  point  to  point  over  his  district 
with  a  rapidity  which  struck  his  opponents  with 
surprise,  and  paralyzed  them  with  despair.  He 
infused  into  his  own  friends  the  same  ardor  and 
energy  which  actuated  himself  When  the  election 
came  on  he  was  triumphantly  successful." 

In  the  autumn  of  1825,  leaving  his  wife  in  the 
quiet  cottage-home  in  Columbia,  Mr.  Polk  started 
on  horseback,  with  Colonel  Allen  and  several 
other  members  of  Congress,  who  were  travelling  to 


28  A    WIDER  LIFE. 

Washington.  At  Baltimore  they  took  the  stage- 
coach, and  left  their  horses  there  until  their  return 
in  March.  When  Mr.  Polk  went  again  to  Wash- 
ington, in  the  autumn  of  1826,  he  was  accom- 
panied by  his  wife.  The  roads  were  rough,  and 
the  fatigues  of  the  long  journey  very  great,  but 
such  obstacles  could  not  deter  her.  The  strength, 
buoyant  spirits,  and  easy  courage  of  youth  enabled 
her  to  enjoy  all  the  pleasures,  and  to  make  light 
of  the  toils  by  the  way.  The  horizon  of  a  wider 
life  and  a  more  extended  prospect  now  stretched 
its  dim  outline  before  her, —  the  soft  tints  and  misty 
shapes  of  earth  and  sky  blending  till  she  could 
scarcely  discern  where  the  ceaseless  endeavor  of 
the  one  was  met  by  the  perfect  peace  of  the 
other.  So  in  her  future,  the  exalted  influences  of 
success,  joy,  and  content,  were  to  mingle  with  all 
her  earthly  experiences.  The  pleasant  village 
occupations  and  associations  were  displaced  by 
the  unknown  companionships  and  events  of  new 
and  untried  scenes. 

They  travelled  in  their  own  carriage,  attended  by 
two  of  their  colored  servants,  a  man  and  a  maid, 
and  thus  accomplished  the  long  and  difficult  jour- 
ney,—  resting  at  night  in  some  farmhouse,  and 
enjoying  by  day  the  scenery  and  changes  by  the 
way.     They   were    accompanied    by   General    Sam 


GOIXG    TO    IVASHINGTOiY.  29 

Houston,  and  at  Knoxville  were  joined  by  Judge 
Hugh  L.  White.  It  was  in  November,  and  the 
golden  sunshine  and  brilHant  colors  of  October 
had  vanished,  leaving  the  soft,  silvery  haze  of 
mid-autumn,  when  a  spirit  of  memory  or  reverie 
seems  to  hover  in  the  air  and  to  impress  the 
landscape  with  its  dreamy  quietude. 

The  grand  old  wildwood  solitudes  lay,  for  miles 
at  a  time,  on  both  sides  of  the  way.  A  great 
part  of  the  country  through  which  they  passed 
had  once  been  the  immense  hunting-grounds  of 
the  Choctaw,  the  Cherokee,  the  Creek,  and  other 
tribes  of  Indians,  who  occupied  the  vast  and  rich 
lands  extending  from  the  Ohio  to  the  Tennessee 
River  on  the  west  and  south,  and  eastward  to 
the  Cumberland  Mountains.  These  forests  of  mag- 
nificent poplars,  elms,  sycamores,  locusts,  maples, 
cottonwoods,  oaks,  and  numerous  other  trees, 
among  which  were  the  smaller  growths  of  dog- 
wood, holly,  laurel,  etc.,  had  been  held  by  the 
dusky  warriors  as  a  common  territory  for  killing 
game,  and  were  grandly  enclosed  by  the  mighty 
waters  of  these  two  majestic  rivers,  and  the  steep 
mountain  fastnesses.  Undeveloped  and  undreamed 
of  by  these  careless  rovers  lay  its  great  wealth 
of  resources  in  minerals,  and  its  treasures  which 
the    magic    wand    of   industry  and    knowledge  was 


30  A  7'  WASHINGTON. 

to  call  forth  in  coming  years.  When  our  travellers 
were  leisurely  journeying  through  this  attractive 
region  the  picturesque  tribes  had  departed,  leav- 
ing comparatively  few  traces  of  their  ancient 
reign  other  than  the  peculiar  and  musical  names 
they  had  given  to  flowing  rivers  and  wide  tracts 
of   country. 

Arriving  at  Washington,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  took 
temporary  lodgings  at  Williamson's  Hotel  on  Penn- 
sylvania Avenue.  The  streets  and  pavements  were 
far  from  what  they  now  are;  the  architecture  of  the 
public  buildings  and  private  dwellings  was  sim- 
plicity itself  compared  w^th  the  present  structures. 
But  Washington  was  nevertheless  a  delightful  city, 
notwithstanding  its  physical  deficiencies,  for  then 
as  now  it  was  a  centre  of  learning,  refinement,  and 
activity,  —  the  capital  of  the  nation. 

In  the  third  decade  of  the  century  it  was  seldom 
that  the  members  of  Congress  occupied  their  own 
or  hired  house  during  their  transient  stay  in  the 
capital ;  and  frequently  two  or  more  families  would 
"mess"  together.  This  camp  phrase  means  that 
several  of  them  would  engage  apartments  in  the 
same  house,  in  which  there  was  a  dining-room  and 
parlor  set  apart  for  their  special  use.  This  arrange- 
ment secured  something  of  the  privacy  of  home 
with  its  congenial  company  and   pleasant  daily  in- 


AT   WASniXGTON.  3  I 

tercourse.  In  this  way,  at  various  times,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Polk  were  the  companions  of  the  Hon.  Hugh 
Lawson  White,  Senator  from  Tennessee,  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Jarvis  of  Maine,  the  Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun  of 
South  Carolina,  and  others.  Mrs.  Polk's  strong 
understanding  and  sound  sense,  the  winning  gifts 
and  graces  of  her  person  and  character,  were  readily 
recognized,   and   she   soon  became  a  favorite  with 

all. 

It  w^as  the  central  period  of  President  John 
Quincy  Adams's  administration.  The  public  mind 
was  not  agitated  by  any  great  political  question, 
and  the  social  life  of  the  capital  city  flowed 
pleasantly  on.  This  tranquillity,  how^ever,  had  for 
a  short  time  been  disturbed  by  the  duel  between 
Randolph  and  Clay  in  the  spring  of  1826.  The 
declining  health  of  Mrs.  Adams  permitted  her  no 
longer  to  appear  in  general  society,  except  at 
public  receptions  in  the  White  House,  where  she 
presided  with  the  animation  and  gracious  dignity 
which  had  made  her  supremacy  so  potent  when 
Mr.  Adams  was  Secretary  of  State. 

Mrs.  Polk's  preference  was  for  the  Presbyterian 
church,  the  choice  of  her  parents,  whose  ministry 
had  been  her  religious  guide,  except  when  under 
the  charge  of  the  Moravians  at  Salem.  Her  hus- 
band made  a  point  of  going  with  her  to  religious 


32  yOU/^iVEY/NGS. 

services,  and  they  became  regular  attendants  in 
the  congregation  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
on  Four- and  a-half  Street,  of  which  the  Rev\  Dr. 
Post  was  then  the  pastor. 

When  the  session  of  Congress  closed,  they 
returned  to  their  cottage-home  in  Columbia.  She 
varied  the  quiet  enjoyments  of  home  with  visits 
to  her  mother  and  other  relatives  in  Murfrees- 
borough  ;  and  he  devoted  himself  to  the  political 
canvass,  having  again  become  a  candidate  for  Con- 
gress ;  and  after  a  severe  contest  with  a  formi- 
dable competitor,  was  re-elected.  Thenceforward 
until  1839,  when  he  voluntarily  ceased  to  be  a 
candidate,  he  was  chosen  every  two  years,  and 
served  his  fellow-citizens  in  the  deliberations  of 
the  National  Assembly  with  signal  ability  and 
faithfulness.  Thus  for  fourteen  consecutive  years 
the  duties  of  his  high  office  fixed  his  residence 
in  Washington  during  the  winter  months.  The 
summers  were  spent  at  home  in  Tennessee.  In 
tiie  annual  trips,  different  routes  were  taken,  thus 
gaining  variety  and  much  pleasant  information. 
Sometimes  they  went  by  stage-coach  through  East 
Tennessee  and  Virginia,  via  Fredericksburg,  —  on 
one  occasion,  in  a  carriage  to  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
going  from  there  b}^  the  Maysville  route  to  the 
Ohio  River,  taking  the   steamer  to  Wheeling,  and 


yOURNEYIXGS.  33 

the  stage  to  Washington.  Another  time  they 
returned  by  way  of  New  York  City,  thence  to 
Albany,  by  the  Erie  Canal  to  Buffalo,  from  there 
to  the  Niagara  Falls,  and  thence  homeward.  In 
this  circuitous  route  they  saw  different  phases  of 
life;  and  enjoyed  even  the  tedious  progress  of  the 
canal-boat,  which  gave  ample  time  to  gaze  upon 
and  to  admire  the  panorama  of  fine  and  varied 
landscapes.  Mrs.  Polk  had  neither  care  nor  trouble 
about  any  travelling  arrangements,  and  enjoyed 
all  the  journeys.  It  made  little  difference  to  her 
whether  the  accommodations  were  good  or  not, 
she  was  thoroughly  satisfied  with  the  pleasure,  and 
made  light  of  whatever  hardship  might  befall. 

On  one  occasion,  while  travelling  in  the  Virginia 
mountains,  the  stage  was  overturned  and  several 
gentlemen  injured.  Mr.  Lyon,  a  senator,  who 
was  one  of  the  passengers,  said  to  her,  "  Put  your 
foot  in  my  hand,  Madame,  and  I  will  help  you 
out."  She  did  so,  and  came  out  of  the  wreck 
unhurt,  not  understanding  how  it  could  be,  but 
still  thankful  for  the  deliverance. 

Another  incident  occurred  near  Columbia.  The 
stage-driver  ventured  into  a  swollen  stream,  when 
the  horses  got  into  deep  water  and  began  to  swim. 
An  inch  or  two  more,  and  the  stage  would  have 
been  engulfed.     A   man  coming  up  the  bank  on 

3 


34  70  URNE  YINGS. 

horseback,  cried  to  the  driver  to  stop.  Mr.  Polk, 
who  could  not  swim,  called  out  from  his  seat 
within  the  stage,  offering  a  reward  of  any  amount 
of  money  that  might  be  named,  if  somebody  would 
save  his  wife.  The  man  on  horseback  seemed  too 
much  frightened  to  grasp  the  opportunity,  and 
j\Ir.  Granville  Pillow,  who  was  sitting  beside  Mrs. 
Polk,  throwing  his  coat  down  on  the  seat,  exclaimed, 
"  I  will  take  you  out,  Madame  !  "  Swimming  to  the 
bank  and  compelling  the  man  to  give  up  his  horse, 
he  mounted,  and  plunging  into  the  rapid  current, 
came  up  behind  the  stage,  and  asking  her  to  step 
upon  the  high  hind  wheel,  and  then  upon  the 
shoulder  of  the  horse,  he  held  her  firmly  in  his 
arms  and  bore  her  safely  to  the  bank.  She  did 
not  even  get  her  feet  damp. 

During  the  session  of  1830-183 1  she  remained 
at  home  in  Columbia,  but  greatly  missed  the  cheer 
of  Mr.  Polk's  companionship.  One  day,  much  de- 
pressed, a  friend  playfully  asked  why  she  did  not 
go  to  Washington,  instead  of  staying  at  home  and 
wearing  so  long  a  face. 

"I  stayed  at  home,"  she  returned,  "to  save 
money  to  make  a  display  upon  next  winter." 
This  was  only  pleasantry.  She  had  no  occasion 
to  save,  for  her  husband  had  a  lucrative  practice, 
and  was  not  dependent  upon  his  salary. 


LETTER  FROM  MR.   FOLK.  35 

The  following  letter  was  written  just  before  the 
close  of  the  session.  It  is  on  a  large,  square  sheet 
of  paper,  folded  and  sealed  in  the  old  style,  when 
envelopes  were  unknown,  and  is  addressed  to  her 
at  Columbia,  bearing  his  Congressional  frank.  It 
affords  a  glimpse  of  the  manners  of  the  time. 

Washington  City,  March  2d,  1S31. 
My  dear  Sarah, —  I  write  you  from  my  seat 
in  the  Hall  at  an  evening  session.  It  is  now  be- 
tween eight  and  nine  o'clock  at  night;  the  Hall 
is  splendidly  lighted  up,  as  is  usual  at  an  evening 
session,  and  the  lobbies  are  crow^ded  with  ladies 
and  spectators.  We  wnll  probably  sit  until  mid- 
night and  very  probably  later.  At  what  hour  to- 
morrow we  shall  adjourn  I  can  form  no  opinion, 
but  I  hope  in  time  to  enable  us  to  get  to  Balti- 
more to-morrow. 

I  will  add  a  postscript  to  this  letter  in  the  morn- 
ing before  I  seal  and  mail  it,  and  it  will  be  of  course 
the  last  that  I  wall  write  you,  before  I  hope  to  see 
you.  I  will  run  a  race  home  with  this  letter,  and 
think  I  shall  beat  it.  I  know  I.  shall  if  I  have  luck 
with  the  stages  and  steamboats. 

Very  affectionately,  your  husband, 

James  K.  Polk. 


2,6  LETTER  FROM  MR.   POLK. 

N.  B.     House  Repts.,  March  3d,  183 1. 

The  House  sat  until  four  o'clock  this  morning, 
and  have  just  met  again,  it  being  now  eleven 
o'clock.  About  two  o'clock  I  became  so  much 
worn  down  and  fatigued,  that  for  the  first  time 
during  my  service  here,  I  found  myself  compelled 
to  go  to  my  lodgings.  I  feel  rather  in  low  spirits 
this  morning,  for  I  fear  that  the  House  may  sit  to 
so  late  an  hour  as  to  prevent  me  from  reaching 
Baltimore  for  to-morrow's  stage.  I  will,  however, 
leave,  at  all  events,  in  time  to  get  there,  unless 
there  should  be  some  matter  of  paramount  im- 
portance to  render  it  indispensable  for  us  to  re- 
main. I  will  get  off  if  I  can  with  any  sort  of 
propriety. 

Very  affectionately,  your  husband, 

James  K.  Polk. 

In  1833  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  went  in  their  private 
carriage  through  Virginia  to  Washington.  On  the 
night  of  November  13-14  they  were  at  a  country 
house  near  Wytheville,  when  the  grand  meteoric 
display  of  that  year  took  place.  Early  in  the 
morning,  before  they  were  up,  a  servant  came  in 
to  make  a  fire,  and  said  in  reply  to  some  question 
about  the  time  of  day,  "  Ole  Miss  's  been  up  a  long 


METEORIC  SHOWER. 


37 


time,  scared  nearly  to  death.     The  sky  's  falhn'  and 
the  day  of  judgment 's  come." 

Mr.  Polk  stepped  out  as  soon  as  possible,  but  the 
fast  coming  dawn  prevented  his  seeing  much  of  the 
astonishing  spectacle.  Mr.  Edward  E.  Barnard, 
the  well-known  astronomer  of  Vanderbilt  Univer- 
sity, afterward  of  Lick  Observatory  in  California, 
says :  "  You  have  read  of  the  wonderful  display 
of  November,  1833,  when  the  heavens  flashed  and 
flamed  with  countless  myriads  of  burning  stars,  as 
plentiful  in  their  fiery  descent  as  the  flakes  of  a 
December  snowstorm.  Ah  !  That  was  a  wonder- 
ful sight.  How  we  love  to  listen  to  our  grand- 
fathers and  grandmothers,  as  they  expatiate  on  the 
wonders  of  that  awful  night  when  God's  long  pa- 
tience seemed  to  have  come  to  an  end,  and  the 
day  of  wrath  near  its  dawn.  Was  it  not  enough 
to  shed  terror  in  the  soul  of  the  timid,,  when  the 
whole  canopy  of  heaven  seemed  falling  in  one 
ceaseless  rain  of  fire  .^  And  what  a  dawn  was 
that,  when  the  great  sun  showed  himself  in  the 
eastern  sky,  blotting  out  with  his  mellow  beams 
that  night  of  terror.  But  there  were  those  dur- 
ing that  night  in  whose  hearts  the  thought  of 
terror  never  entered,  and  who  with  weariless  eye- 
lids watched  until  the  dawn  —  to  them  how  unwel- 
come —  paled  the  glorious  sight.     How  different  in 


38  MRS.   POLK'S  FOR  TRAIT. 

knowing  and  not  knowing  the  cause  of  this  superb 
phenomenon !  " 

The  artist  Earle  had  spent  some  time  with  Gen- 
eral Jackson  at  the  White  House.  During  his  stay 
there  the  Tennesseans  who  were  assembled  one 
evening  in  the  parlor  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  pro- 
posed that  they  should  have  their  portraits  painted 
by  him,  and  this  proposition  was  soon  carried  into 
effect.  Mrs.  Polk's  portrait,  the  earliest  one  of  her, 
has  preserved  her  youthful  appearance,  with  the 
bright  eyes,  and  raven  hair  hanging  in  clustering 
curls  around  the  face.  It  has  justly  been  called 
the  picture  of  a  bride,  for  the  freshness  of  youth 
clung  to  her  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Polk  was  much  opposed  to  banks,  and  had 
taken  strong  ground  with  General  Jackson  against 
irresponsible  paper  currency,  and  in  favor  of  the 
exclusive  use  of  gold  and  silver  as  a  circulating 
medium.  He  was  consistent,  and  used  specie  in 
the  payment  of  all  his  debts.  The  opposition  of 
General  Jackson  and  his  party  to  the  United  States 
Bank,  and  indeed  to  all  banks,  created  great  excite- 
ment throughout  the  country  for  several  years,  and 
was  a  prolific  theme  of  Congressional  debate,  and 
in  all  public  speech  on  political  occasions.  There 
was  a  time  when  the  currency  of  each  State  was  at 
a  small  discount   in   the  adjoining  States,  and  this 


BANK  NOTES  AND  SPECIE.  39 

irregularity  and  loss  to  travellers  and  others  gave 
force  to  the  arguments  of  those  who  advocated 
soecie  payments  in  all  business  transactions. 

On  a  journey  to  Washington  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk 
had  rested  during  the  night,  as  usual.  Early  one 
morning,  just  as  everything  was  ready,  and  the 
trunks  were  locked,  Mr.  Polk  entered  in  haste, 
and  said,  "  Sarah,  get  some  money  out  of  the 
trunk.  I  have  n't  enough  in  my  pocket  to  pay 
expenses  during  the  day." 

With  a  little  flush  of  excitement,  being  much 
hurried,  she  opened  a  trunk  and  began  turning  up 
the  clothing,  in  one  corner  and  then  in  another,  to 
find  the  bags  of  specie  packed  in  different  places. 
"  Don't  you  see,"  she  exclaimed,  *'  how  trouble- 
some it  is  to  carry  around  gold  and  silver?  This 
is  enough  to  show  you  how  useful  banks  are." 

"  Sarah,  you  've  turned  your  politics,  then,"  he 
rejoined ;   "  but  all  I  want  now  is  that  money." 

They  were  accompanied  by  a  party  of  Congress- 
men and  friends,  and  when  seated  in  the  coach  Mr. 
Polk  related  with  considerable  embellishment  and 
humor  the  incident  that  had  just  occurred.  It  was 
apparent  that  his  wife  had  taken  sides  against  him 
on  the  Bank  question.  All  clapped  their  hands, 
and  were  so  boisterous  in  their  mirth  that  the 
driver,   leaning  from   his   seat   on   the    box,  asked. 


40  BANK  XOTES  AND  SPECIE. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  gentlemen  ?  What  are  you 
laughing  at?" 

Several  of  the  party,  who  held  opinions  in  opposi- 
tion to  those  of  Mr.  Polk,  were  much  pleased  and 
amused  at  the  idea  of  his  wife  sympathizing  with 
them. 

Not  long  after  this,  when  a  notable  Virginian, 
whose  opinions  coincided  with  those  of  Mr.  Polk, 
was  calling  upon  them,  she  remarked,  '*  Mr.  Polk, 
you  and  your  friends  certainly  are  mistaken  about 
that  Bank  question.  Why,  if  we  must  use  gold 
and  silver  all  the  time,  a  lady  can  scarcely  carry 
enough  money  with  her." 

The  visitor  laughed,  and  Mr.  Polk  told  her  after- 
ward that  their  Virginia  friend  would  certainly 
conclude  that  she  was  not  quite  right  politically. 


LIFE    IN   WASHINGTON. 


I 


CHAPTER  IV. 

1834-1839. 

N  the  summer  of  1834,  at  her  home  in  Columbia, 
Mrs.  Polk  came  to  the  conclusion,  toward  which 
her  wishes  and  meditations  had  long  been  tending, 
to  unite  with  the  church.  Speaking  of  this  decision 
to  no  one  but  her  husband's  mother,  who  was  ''  a 
strict  church-woman,"  —  a  Presbyterian  —  she  was 
surprised  on  the  following  Sunday  to  hear  it  an- 
nounced from  the  pulpit  that  the  door  of  the  church 
was  open  for  the  admission  of  members,  and  sur- 
prised still  more  to  find  that  she  herself  was  the 
only  candidate.  So  pleased  was  Mr.  Polk's  mother 
with  this  decision  that  she  had  brought  about  its 
immediate  accomplishment  by  making  arrangements 
for  it  with  Mr.  Larrabee,  the  pastor. 

While  Mr.  Polk  was  in  the  habit  of  attending 
church  with  his  wife,  it  often  happened  that  as  the 
hour  for  services  approached,  he  was  engaged  in 
the  company  of  men  who,  either  from  indifference 
or  carelessness,  forgot  the  Sabbath  and  its  universal 
obhgation.      As    it  w^as    an    awkward   and  difficult 


44  ATTENDIXG   CHURCH. 

thing  for  him  to  excuse  himself,  his  wife  took  the 
case  into  her  own  dexterous  management.  Shawled 
and  bonneted,  she  would  enter  the  room  and  ask 
her  husband  and  his  friends  to  go  with  her  to 
church,  saying  that  she  did  not  wish  to  go  alone. 
One  day  in  Washington,  when  she  did  this,  a  visi- 
tor asked,  "  Mrs.  Polk,  what  is  the  use  of  going  to 
church  ?  You  Presbyterians  believe  that  you  will 
be  saved  anyhow." 

"  Oh,  no,  sir,  we  believe  no  such  thing,"  she 
replied  ;  "  and  I  wish  to  go  particularly  to-day,  be- 
cause Dr.  B.,  a  fine  preacher,  is  to  fill  the  pulpit." 

"Then  I  would  like  to  go  with  you,  Madame, 
for  I  have  played  cards  all  night  with  him  many 
a  time." 

Her  custom  of  requesting  her  husband's  Sunday 
callers  to  accompany  him  and  her  to  church  soon 
had  the  effect  of  dispersing  them  before  her  appear- 
ance, if  they  did  not  wish  to  accept  the  invitation. 

Soon  after  becoming  settled  in  Washington,  Mrs. 
Polk,  wishing  to  keep  up  her  music,  procured  an 
instrument  and  an  instructor  and  applied  herself 
diligently  to  the  task.  But  it  was  not  long  before 
the  unequal  struggle  became  wearisome.  With  the 
circle  of  her  acquaintance  constantly  widening,  and 
engagements  multiplying,  she  was  obliged  to  give 
up  the  music  studies. 


FRIENDS  AND   COMPANIONS.  45 

At  this  point  it  may  be  well  to  mention  a  few 
of  the  ladies  who  were  her  friends  and  companions 
at  that  time.  Mrs.  General  Van  Ness  was  admired 
for  her  beauty  and  accomplishments,  and  venerated 
for  her  Christian  character  and  beneficence.  She 
founded  the  Washington  City  Orphan  Asylum;  and 
it  is  said  that  she  was  the  first  American  woman 
who  was  buried  with  public  honors.  Her  niece, 
Cornelia,  the  daughter  of  Cornelius  Van  Ness,  the 
Chief  Justice,  and  Governor  of  Vermont,  spent  some 
time  with  her  aunt,  in  the  winter  of  1 828-1 829,  and 
was  a  charming  addition  to  Washington  society. 
A  few  years  later  she  married,  in  Paris,  Mr.  Roose- 
velt of  New  York,  General  Lafayette  giving  the 
bride  away.  Other  friends  were :  the  future  Mrs. 
J.  J.  Crittenden,  at  that  time  Mrs.  William  H.  Ash- 
ley, wife  of  the  "  sole  representative  in  Congress 
from  Missouri ;  "  Mrs.  Levi  Woodbury,  the  wife 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  during  President 
Jackson's  administration;  Mrs.  Louis  McLane,  the 
wife  of  the  Secretary  of  State  in  the  same  Cabi- 
net, but  who  afterward  became  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury;  Mrs.  Thomas  H.  Benton,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Governor  McDowell  of  Virginia;  Mrs.  Clay, 
of  Alabama;  Mrs.  Pleasanton,  of  Washington; 
Mrs.  Edward  Livingston;  Mrs.  Jarvis,  of  Maine; 
Mrs.   Lewis  Cass,  wife  of  the    Secretary   of  War; 


46  A'EIF  YEAR'S   CALLS. 

Mrs.  Chamberlain,  of  New  York;  Mrs.  Robert  Y. 
Hayne,  of  South  CaroHna ;  Mrs.  Robert  J.  Walker, 
of  Mississippi ;  Mrs.  Gordon,  of  Virginia ;  Mrs.  Isaac 
Hill,  of  New  Hampshire;  Mrs.  Caleb  Cushing,  of 
Massachusetts;  Mrs.  Rives,  of  Virginia;  Mrs. 
Marcy,  of  New  York;  Mrs.  R.  H.  Gillet;  Mrs. 
William  C.  Preston  and  Mrs.  John  C.  Calhoun, 
of  South  Carolina;    and  many  others. 

The  custom  of  making  social  calls  on  New  Year's 
Day  was  early  introduced  into  Washington  society. 
Among  Mrs.  Polk's  recollections  of  the  time  when 
she  was  the  wife  of  a  Congressman  was  the  New 
Year  call  of  General  Edmund  P.  Gaines.  He  was 
dressed  in  full  regimentals,  and  wore  at  his  side  the 
sword  presented  to  him  by  the  Legislature  of  Ten- 
nessee. •*  Madame,"  said  he,  "  I  have  come  to  call 
on  you,  and  have  worn  in  your  honor  my  Tennessee 
sword." 

The  country  was  greatly  disturbed  in  the  spring 
of  1832  by  the  Black  Hawk  war;  and  two  months 
afterward  by  the  first  appearance  of  the  Asiatic 
cholera,  which  broke  out  at  Quebec  and  swept  with 
violence  over  the  land,  taking  the  course  of  the 
lakes  and  rivers  and  other  principal  routes  of  travel. 
General  Scott's  army,  in  vessels  on  the  northern 
lakes,  going  to  meet  Black  Hawk,  was  met  and 
routed  by  the  cholera,  a  subtler  and  more  powerful 


NULLIFICA  TIOIV.  47 

foe  than  the  Indian  chief.  In  the  succeeding  month 
General  Atkinson  defeated  Black  Hawk  and  took 
him  prisoner. 

But  the  greatest  excitement  occurred  in  Decem- 
ber of  this  year,  and  near  the  close  of  General  Jack- 
son's first  term  as  President,  when  South  Carolina 
attempted  to  nullify  the  tariff  laws  enacted  by  Con- 
gress. The  whole  country  w^as  in  a  tremor,  and  the 
President's  celebrated  proclamation  on  the  subject 
was  the  theme  of  fierce  debate  in  both  Houses  of 
Congress.  These  violent  discussions  were  also  heard 
on  the  hustings  everywhere.  This  agitation,  per- 
meating all  departments  of  life,  influenced  social 
affairs  to  a  considerable  extent,  especially  in  Wash- 
ington. The  subject  which  had  been  under  fierce 
discussion  for  three  or  four  years  reached  a  climax 
in  1832,  and  resulted  in  the  increased  popularity  of 
General  Jackson.  He  was  re-elected  President  by 
an  overwhelming  majority,  receiving  two  hundred 
and  nineteen  electoral  votes,  out  of  two  hundred 
and  sixty-eight  cast  by  the  electoral  colleges. 

It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  the  record  of  a 
woman's  life,  to  discourse  of  wars  and  political  dis- 
turbances, and  weighty  matters  of  State.  They  are 
mentioned  simply  to  show  what  were  the  agitations 
of  social  life,  arousing  partisan  feeling  and  separating 
friends.     To   avoid  these  dangers,  not  only  a  clear 


48  MRS.   POLK'S  PROPRIETY. 

understanding  and  good  judgment  were  required, 
but  also  unselfish,  kindly  forbearance  and  gentle 
consideration  for  the  rights  and  sensibilities  of 
others.  Guided  by  rare  discernment,  prudence,  and 
self-command,  Mrs.  Polk's  daily  intercourse  was 
free  from  hasty  or  unkind  allusions  and  irritating 
talk. 

With  the  lowly  self-estimation  of  love,  she  felt 
that  her  character  had  been  moulded  by  the  wise 
influence  of  her  husband.  She  relates  that,  in  the 
exuberance  of  spirits  which  had  never  felt  the 
restraint  of  hard  experiences,  she  would  sometimes 
make  a  hasty  remark,  which  would  be  instantly 
checked,  not  by  a  reproof,  —  Mr.  Polk  seldom  told 
her  that  she  did  wrong,  —  but  by  a  smile  which 
she  well  understood  to  mean  disapproval  of  her 
inconsiderateness. 

The  following  incident  shows  her  high  ideal  of 
the  dignity  of  her  position  as  the  wife  of  a  Con- 
gressman. The  wife  of  a  Cabinet  officer  wrote  her 
that  she  was  going  to  the  races  on  that  day  because 
two  prominent  Tennesseans  were  to  run  their  horses, 
both  of  which  were  noted  for  good  blood  and  great 
speed,  and  that  if  Mrs.  Polk  wished  to  see  the  spec- 
tacle, she  would  call  in  her  carriage  at  the  proper 
hour,  and  take  her  out  to  the  course.  Mrs.  Polk 
replied   with    thanks,  but   declined    to  go.     In  the 


MRS.   POLK'S  PROPRIETY.  49 

evening,  meeting  her  at  a  party,  the  lady  said,  "  Oh, 
why  did  you  not  go  with  me  to-day  ?  "  She  then 
told  of  the  large  concourse,  including  government 
officials,  members  of  Congress,  and  many  ladies. 
Mrs.  Polk  answered  that  she  declined  because  she 
had  never  attended  the  races,  and  did  not  wish  to 
violate  her  rule. 

**  Well,"  was  the  laughing  reply,  '*  that  is  a  reflec- 
tion on  me."  "  Oh,  no,"  returned  Mrs.  Polk,  "  not 
at  all.  You  are  in  the  habit  of  going.  I  am  not." 
She  did  not  break  this  rule,  and  never  saw  a  horse- 
race. Her  ideal  of  propriety  was  the  counterpart 
of  her  husband's,  who  had  a  delicate  conception  of 
the  fitness  of  things.  He  did  not  wish  his  wife  even 
to  jest  about  personal  incongruities,  or  anything 
that  reflected  on  the  character  or  manners  of  others. 
He  would  sometimes  say,  "  Sarah,  I  wish  you  would 
not  say  that.  I  understand  you,  but  others  might 
not,  and  a  wrong  impression  might  be  made." 

'•  That,"  said  she,  "  was  the  strongest  rebuke  he 
ever  gave  me.  When  persons  speak  of  my  strict 
ideas  of  propriety,  I  think  of  my  husband's  circum- 
spection, and  reply,  *  You  were  not  brought  up  in 
so  strict  a  school  as  I  was.'  " 

Though  Mr.  Polk  was  one  of  the  youngest  mem- 
bers when  he  first  took  his  seat  in  the  House,  he 
was  at  the  beginning  of  his  second  session   made 

4 


so 


HER   ENTERTAINMENTS. 


chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations. 
He  was  not  only  the  firm  political  supporter,  but  the 
ardent  personal  friend  of  President  Jackson,  and 
was  looked  upon  as  the  leader  of  the  Jackson  forces 
in  the  House  of  Representatives.  Recollections  of 
the  past  undoubtedly  aided  to  strengthen  the  warm 
friendship  always  felt  by  General  Jackson  for  Mr. 
Polk.  It  is  said  that  when  young  Jackson  with  his 
mother  and  brother  fled  before  the  army  of  Corn- 
wallis  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  they  took  refuge 
in  Mecklenburg  County,  North  Carolina,  and  lived 
for  some  time  with  the  neighbors  and  friends  of  Mr. 
Polk's  father  and  grandfather. 

About  the  middle  of  General  Jackson's  second 
term  Mr.  Polk  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House, 
and  held  the  office  until  his  withdrawal  from  Con- 
gress. The  responsibilities  which  this  position  im- 
posed upon  his  wife  were  fulfilled  by  her  with  ease 
and  dignity,  while  her  entertainments  left  many 
pleasant  memories.  Additional  rooms  in  the  house 
where  they  boarded  were  obtained  for  these  festival 
occasions.  Making  her  apartments  elastic  and  ex- 
pansible at  her  pleasure,  she  could  receive  a  large 
party  of  guests  at  any  time,  without  the  care  of  an 
extensive  establishment. 

Among  her  associates  were  Mrs.  Seaton  and 
Mrs.   Gales,  although   their    husbands  were  adher- 


MRS.   SEA  TON.  5  I 

ents  of  the  party  to  which  Mr.  Polk  was  opposed. 
Gales  and  Seaton  pubHshed  the  **  National  Intel- 
ligencer" for  many  years,  and  it  was  a  prosper- 
ous paper  under  their  control.  On  one  occasion, 
Mrs.  Seaton  was  desirous  that  Mrs.  Polk  should 
attend  an  entertainment  she  proposed  giving, 
and  was  told  by  Mr.  Polk  that  his  wife  would  be 
present  if  he  could  get  through  with  his  duties 
in  time  to  escort  her.  She  impulsively  replied 
that  Mrs.  Polk  must  come,  whether  he  could 
attend  her  or  not,  and  that  she  would  provide 
an  escort  for  her.  Thereupon  she  invited  Mr. 
Buchanan,  a  bachelor  senator,  afterward  President, 
and  Colonel  King,  another  bachelor;  but  the  lady 
did  not  appear.  When  Mrs.  Seaton  next  met 
]\Irs.  Polk  she  said,  "  I  invited  those  two  old 
Democrats  to  be  company  for  you,  and  behold, 
you  did  not  come  !  " 

Mrs.  Polk  preferred  to  remain  at  home  when 
her  husband  was  too  closely  engaged  to  give 
her  his  attendance,  although  there  were  many 
gentlemen  offering  courtesies  and  desiring  to 
wait  upon  her  to  places  of  amusement.  Taking 
a  deep  interest  in  his  patient  inquiries  into  the 
abstruse  and  complicated  political  questions  of 
the  day,  she  was  at  pains  to  inform  herself  on 
these     subjects,    and     become     familiar    with     the 


52  BIDDING   ADIEU. 

great  matters  then  exercising  the  minds  of  pub- 
he  men.  But  she  had  the  intuitive  tact  which 
is  rarely  united  with  such  insight  and  understand- 
ing, and  was  too  dehcate  and  reserved  to  proclaim 
political  opinions,  or  to  join  in  the  discussions  of 
party  differences.  Being  so  intelligent  and  well- 
informed,  yet  so  unobtrusive,  she  was  a  charming 
companion.  Able  also  to  enter  into  the  views  of 
public  men,  and  to  quickly  comprehend  their 
plans,  while  appreciating  every  remark,  she  was 
not  always  looking  out  for  the  first  lull  in  the 
conversation  to  express  her  own  peculiar  opinions, 
but  on  the  contrary  always  listened  intently  and 
answered  courteously.  She  was  ever  a  good 
listener.  Mr.  Franklin  Pierce,  afterward  President, 
at  one  time  a  boarder  in  the  next  house,  was 
one  of  her  most  cordial  and  constant  friends. 
At  public  assemblages  he  sometimes  took  charge 
of  her,  saying  to  her  husband  that  he  could  go 
and  talk  politics  with  the  gentlemen,  and  leave  to 
him  the  more  agreeable  privilege  of  promenading 
and  conversing  with  Mrs.  Polk. 

When,  in  1839,  they  were  bidding  adieu  to 
their  friends,  at  the  close  of  his  Congressional 
service,  Mrs.  Seaton  and  Mrs.  Gales  were  among 
the  throng  making  the  parting  call.  When  Mrs. 
Seaton  approached    Mrs.  Polk  she  said :     *'  I    am 


BIDDING   ADIEU.  53 

very  sorry  you  are  going  away;  we  have  had 
many  pleasant  hours  together.  But  while  I  am 
sad  on  account  of  losing  your  society,  there  is  a 
feeling  of  joyousness  connected  with  it  which  I 
will  not  hide  from  you.  When  Mr.  Polk  is  gone 
he  will  not  be  electioneering  against  Mr.  Seaton, 
and  will  not  record  his  vote  against  him."  Messrs. 
Gales  and  Seaton  were  defeated  in  their  efforts  to 
obtain  the  public  printing  as  long  as  Mr.  Polk's 
influence  was  in  Washington  to  oppose  them  ; 
hence  Mrs.  Seaton's  undisguised  joy  at  his  depart- 
ure. "  She  was  a  perfect  lady,"  added  Mrs.  Polk, 
in  relating  this  incident,  "  and  she  would  not  have 
said  that  behind  my  back." 

Among  the  pleasant  episodes  of  this  time  of 
leave-taking,  was  the  presentation  of  a  poem  in 
her  honor  by  Judge  Story.  When  Mr.  Polk  be- 
came Speaker  of  the  House,  he  and  his  wife 
took  a  suite  of  rooms  in  a  large  house  on  Penn- 
sylvania Avenue,  known  as  Elliott's  Building.  It 
was  not  then  considered  proper  for  the  Speaker 
to  sit  at  table  with  the  other  members  of  Congress, 
the  principal  reason  for  this  notion  being  the 
awkward  positions  which  might  ensue  when  the 
affairs  and  measures  of  Congress  were  discussed  at 
meals,  as  would  inevitably  happen.  The  Speaker 
would    be    criticised    or   blamed,   or   at    least  often 


54  POETIC    TRIBUTE. 

mentioned.  The  remainder  of  Elliott's  Building 
was  appropriated  to  the  Supreme  Court.  Mrs. 
Polk  frequently  met  the  judges  and  members  of 
the  court,  and  became  so  well  known  to  them 
that  upon  her  departure  many  of  them  sent  let- 
ters expressing  regret  at  the  loss  of  her  presence. 
Tudee  McLean  said  in  his  letter  that  he  "could 
not  write  poetry  like  Brother  Story,"  but  that  his 
sentiments  toward  her  were  as  warm,  and  his 
regrets  at  her  leaving  as  great,  as  if  he  possessed 
the  power  to  express  himself  in  verse. 

To  Mrs.  Polk, 

Ox    HER    LEAVING   WASHINGTON. 

Lady,  I  heard  with  saddened  heart 

The  melancholy  strain  : 
So  soon  from  these  fair  scenes  to  part, 

Ne'er  to  return  again. 

How  swift  have  flown  the  busy  hours, 

Since  we  as  strangers  met  ; 
And  some  so  bright,  so  strewed  with  flowers, 

Are  fresh  in  memory  yet. 

For  I  have  listened  to  thy  voice. 

And  watched  thy  playful  mind, 
Truth  in  its  noblest  sense  thy  choice, 

Yet  gentle,  graceful,  kind. 

O,  may  thy  future  days  be  blest 

With  all  our  hearts  approve  ; 
The  sunshine  of  a  spotless  breast, 

The  joy  of  mutual  love. 


FAREWELL.  55 

Farewell !  And  when  thy  distant  home, 

Cheered  by  thy  smile  shall  be, 
And  o'er  the  past  thick  fancies  come, 

I  ask  one  thought  of  me. 

Joseph  D.  Story. 
Washington,  February,  1839. 


At  the  close  of  the  session  of  Congress,  March  4, 
1839,  the  House  passed  a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks 
to  the  retiring  Speaker.  In  his  farewell  address,  one 
may  plainly  read  between  the  lines  his  devotion  to 
duty,  and  the  combination  of  firmly  held  opinions 
with  courteous  deference  to  the  opinions  of  those 
opposed  to  him. 


WIFE   OF   THE    GOVERNOR. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

1839-1843. 

REFRESHING  indeed  was  the  repose  of  the 
Columbia  home  to  the  two  who  returned 
to  abide  beneath  its  peaceful  shelter,  after  fourteen 
years  of  going  and  coming,  like  birds  of  passage. 
This  frequent  change,  and  her  light-hearted  enjoy- 
ment of  every  day's  experience,  had  been  beneficial 
to  mind  and  body,  while  the  prospect  of  uninter- 
rupted home  life  was  all  the  sweeter,  contrasted  with 
the  ceaseless  change  and  variety  of  the  last  ten 
years  and  a  half 

According  to  his  habit  Mr.  Polk  at  once  resumed 
the  practice  of  law,  his  wife  taking  up  the  old  daily 
routine,  more  than  contented  with  her  surround- 
ings, securing  order  and  peace  by  her  presence, 
while  sympathizing  with  her  husband  in  all  his 
studies  and  pursuits. 

But  this  tranquillity  was  soon  broken.  Mr.  Polk 
became  a  candidate  for  governor,  and  began  the 
laborious  task  of  canvassing  the  State.  It  was 
the  most  warmly  contested  campaign  that  had  ever 


60  MR.   rOLK  ELECTED   GOVERNOR. 

taken  place  in  Tennessee,  and  he  went  on  horse- 
back all  over  the  State,  making  speeches  every- 
where to  the  crowds  assembled  to  meet  him. 
His  competitor  was  the  then  Governor,  the  Hon. 
Newton  Cannon.  From  the  loopholes  of  her  re- 
treat at  Columbia,  his  wife  watched  the  conflict, 
receiving  frequent  letters  from  her  absent  husband, 
whose  round  of  arduous  labors  had  such  an  electric 
effect  in  disturbing  the  quiet  of  her  cottage-home. 
At  the  election  in  August  he  was  triumphant  by  a 
majority  of  three  or  four  thousand,  a  result  highly 
gratifying  to  General  Jackson,  who  was  delighted 
to  see  his  own  Tennessee  going  in  the  political  path 
he  considered  safe  and  right. 

Judge  J.  C.  Guild  relates  the  following  incident 
of  that  summer,  which  parts  the  curtains  of  the  past 
and  affords  a  glimpse  of  the  scenes  and  the  persons 
of  more  than  half  a  century  ago  in  Tennessee. 

''After  the  August  campaign  of  1839,  which 
resulted  in  the  election  of  James  K.  Polk  to  the 
gubernatorial  chair,  the  leading  Democratic  politi- 
cians in  and  about  Nashville  assembled  with  their 
families  and  a  concourse  of  young  people  at  Tyree 
Springs,  in  Sumner  County,  for  a  little  rest  and 
recreation. 

"  General  Jackson  was  there.  Felix  Grundy,  then 
Attorney-General  of  Mr.   Van    Buren's   administra- 


MOOT  COURT.  6 1 

tion,  with  Judge  Campbell,  the  old  minister  to 
Russia,  General  Armstrong,  a  lineal  descendant  of 
the  gallant  old  trooper,  and  captain  of  General 
Jackson's  body-guard  in  the  Creek  war,  Governor 
Polk,  who  had  just  been  elected,  and  all  the  old 
notables  of  that  party,  with  a  bevy  of  beautiful 
young  ladies  to  grace  the  occasion,  were  also 
there. 

'*  The  weather  was  delightful,  the  spring  waters 
refreshing,  and  arrangements  were  made  to  pass 
the  time  pleasantly.  An  old  gardener,  not  far  dis- 
tant, was  employed  to  bring  fresh  melons,  fruits  and 
flowers  to  the  party  every  morning,  and  upon  the 
greensward  under  the  ample  shade  of  the  great 
elms  with  which  the  yard  was  studded,  was  held 
every  day,  after  breakfast,  a  moot  or  mock  court, 
of  which  Judge  Grundy  was  the  Chief  Justice,  and 
General  Jackson,  who  sat  near  by,  an  associate. 
The  court  was  opened  in  due  form  every  morning 
by  Colonel  Harris,  the  Marshal,  and  the  young 
gentlemen,  indicted  for  every  little  trivial  offence 
conceivable,  such  as  failing  to  bow  when  passing 
a  lady,  or  any  other  slight  breach  of  common  cour- 
tesy, were  brought  up  for  trial.  To  be  tried  was 
to  be  fined.  No  one  got  clear.  Judge  Grundy 
announced  that  one  rule  of  the  court  was  that  he 
who  o-rumbled  at  the  magrnitude  of  his  fine  should 


62  MOOT  COURT. 

be  fined  double.  So  the  fines  were  always  paid 
without  a  murmur,  and  the  party  was  constantly 
supplied  with  watermelons,  muskmelons,  canta- 
loupes, peaches  and  pears  in  abundance,  while  all 
the  ladies  had  a  daily  supply  of  beautiful  flowers. 
"  After  each  and  every  gentleman  had  been  fined 
several  times,  the  marshal  reported  to  the  court 
that  the  expenses  were  becoming  a  little  too  bind- 
ing on  some  of  the  guests,  and  asked  what  should 
be  done.  On  ascertaining  that  the  wagon  had 
arrived  that  morning  and  was  full  of  nice  supplies, 
Judge  Grundy  decided  that  as  so  much  money  had 
been  already  paid  to  the  gardener,  his  prices  must 
be  exceedingly  high,  and  therefore  he  should  be 
indicted  at  once,  and  brought  before  the  court 
for  extortion.  Accordingly,  the  old  gardener,  who 
had  been  a  soldier  w^ith  General  Jackson  in  the 
Creek  War  or  at  New  Orleans,  \vas  formally  in- 
dicted and  brought  into  court.  He  had  retained 
two  eminent  lawyers  of  Louisiana,  who  happened 
to  be  of  the  party,  as  his  counsel,  and  they  argued 
the  case  with  much  ingenuity  and  humor  for  an 
hour  or  more,  taking  the  ground  that  not  being 
of  the  party,  their  client  was  not  within  the  juris- 
diction of  the  court.  To  the  guests  who  attentively 
followed  and  enjoyed  the  argument,  it  seemed  that 
the  old  gardener  would  certainly  get  clear,  but  at 


AT  NASHVILLE.  63 

the  close,  Judge  Grundy  turned  to  General  Jackson 
and  asked,  '  General,  is  not  a  sutler  subject  to  the 
rules  and  regulations  of  the  camp?' 

"  General  Jackson  replied,  'Most  certainly,  Judge 
Grundy.' 

"  '  Oh  !  '  exclaimed  the  old  gardener,  '  it  is  all 
over  with  me ;  there  is  no  appeal  from  the  decision 
of  General  Jackson.' 

"  So  the  Judge  fined  him  the  entire  load  of 
his  wagon,  which  he  promptly  delivered  without 
a  word  of  complaint;  albeit  a  subscription  was 
quietly  taken  up,  and  the  old  gardener  was  fully 
remunerated. 

"  And  it  was  quite  remarkable  that  during  that 
week  so  pleasantly  spent  there,  not  a  word  of 
politics  or  upon  any  question  of  public  affairs  was 
heard,  notwithstanding  it  was  a  sort  of  Democratic 
love-feast." 

The  capital  of  Tennessee  continued  many  years 
at  Knoxville,  where  it  had  first  been  established ; 
then  it  was  removed  to  Kingston,  then  to  Murfrees- 
borough,  and  finally,  in  1827,  to  Nashville.  This 
city  had  never  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  a  governor's 
mansion,  and  the  new  incumbent  rented  the  large 
dwelling  on  Cherry  Street  known  as  the  Craighead 
house.  The  rent,  only  five  hundred  dollars  a  year, 
shows  the  difference  between   those  times  and  the 


64  AT  XASHVILLE. 

present.  The  Governor's  yearly  salary  was  two 
thousand  dollars.  Cherry  Street  was  then  a  choice 
neighborhood,  and  Mrs.  Polk  had  sunny  memories 
of  the  excellent  society  of  those  early  days.  Across 
the  street  was  the  home  of  Col.  Samuel  D.  Morgan, 
an  active  leader  in  the  Whig  party.  This,  however, 
did  not  prevent  genuine  friendliness  between  his 
family  and  the  Governor  and  his  wife,  who  were 
often  invited  over  to  dine  with  other  guests.  These 
invitations  Mr.  Polk  generally  declined,  saying  he 
"  could  not  lose  half  a  day  just  to  go  and  dine." 
But  he  wished  his  wife  to  go,  and  she  usually  repre- 
sented him  on  these  occasions.  The  attachment  of 
the  members  of  Colonel  Morgan's  family  to  her 
sometimes  produced  a  division  of  sentiment  in  the 
household.  One  evening  Colonel  Morgan  had  an 
illumination  in  honor  of  some  Whig  event,  —  per- 
haps the  triumph  of  the  Whig  party  in  the  hotly 
waged  presidential  campaign  of  1840,  —  when  one 
of  his  daughters  followed  him  as  he  lighted  the 
candles  in  the  window-panes,  and  blew  them  out. 
He  bore  this  outbreak  of  opposition  patiently  for 
a  little  while,  relighting  the  candles;  but  suddenly 
turning  round,  he  said,  "That  is  enough  now! 
Just  come  and  help  me  to  light  these  candles !  " 
And  she  was  compelled  to  assist  him  in  the  dis- 
play so  obnoxious  to  her  friend  across  the  street. 


AT  NASHVILLE.  65 

Colonel  Morgan  was  one  of  the  Board  of  Com- 
missioners intrusted  with  the  charge  of  building  the 
State  House.  During  the  Civil  War,  earthworks 
were  thrown  up  around  this  building  by  the  Federal 
army,  to  form  a  fortification,  which  obstructed  the 
view  from  the  lower  terrace.  The  sides  of  the  hill 
were  stony  and  rough,  in  strange  contrast  to  the 
noble  temple  of  liberty  rising  above  them.  That 
sight  is  entirely  forgotten  now  in  the  beautiful 
grounds  surrounding  the  Capitol.  The  expanses 
of  luxuriant  grass,  the  growing  trees,  the  walks 
winding  up  and  around  the  hill,  with  frequent  flights 
of  steps  to  aid  in  the  ascent,  the  fountain  and  flow- 
ers, and  the  equestrian  statue  seem  to  make  Jackson, 
Tennessee's  beloved  hero,  the  perpetual  guardian 
of  his  adopted  home.  The  crown  of  this  little  gem 
of  a  park  is  the  fine  view,  taking  in  at  one  sweep 
the  city  below  with  its  church-spires,  its  vistas  of 
streets,  its  public  buildings  and  happy  homes  em- 
bowered in  trees ;  and  the  green  country  beyond ; 
miles  and  miles  of  as  delightsome  a  land  as  was  ever 
bestowed  upon  man  by  the  bountiful  hand  of  the 
Creator.  This  extensive  landscape  has  the  magi- 
cal effect  of  making  the  Capitol  grounds  seem 
larger  than  they  really  are,  imparting  the  sense  of 
elevation   and  of  ample    space. 

Not  far  from  Colonel  Morgan's  residence  lived 
5 


66  AT  NASHVILLE. 

James  Walker,  the  father  of  William  Walker,  of 
Nicaragua  fame.  His  wife  was  a  sister  of  Caleb  C. 
Norvell,  editor  of  the  **  Nashville  Whig,"  whose 
vigorous  editorials  against  Mr.  Polk  and  his  party 
were  issued  with  telling  effect  every  other  day. 
Mrs.  Walker  who  was  warmly  attached  to  Mrs. 
Polk,  was  so  aggrieved  at  Mr.  Norvell's  onslaughts 
upon  the  husband  of  her  friend,  that  she  would 
sometimes  say  to  her,  ''  I  have  n't  opened  my 
brother's  paper  to-day,  for  I  dislike  so  much  to 
read  what  he  says  against  your  husband."  When 
party  spirit  was  heated  and  ready  to  burst  into  flame 
at  the  slightest  touch  of  antagonism,  the  Governor 
would  say  to  his  wife,  "  When  you  hear  that  so- 
and-so,  and  you  will  hear  it,  is  going  to  vote  against 
me,  don't  you  get  excited  and  say,  '  I  never  will 
forgive  him.' "  He  thought  that  every  man  had 
a  right  to  his  own  opinion,  and  so  far  from  be- 
ing offended  with  those  opposed  to  him,  he  was 
always  ready,  as  his  wife  said,  "  to  give  them  the 
hand." 

Opposite  to  I\Ir.  Walker  lived  Col.  Thomas 
Claiborne,  whose  son,  young  Tom  Claiborne,  was 
Mr.  Polk's  companion  during  his  canvass  for  the 
governorship,  keeping  his  papers  and  pamphlets, 
and  taking  charge  of  the  documents  after  every 
day's  speaking.     Another  neighbor  was   Dr.  Felix 


RETURN   TO    COLUMBIA.  6/ 

Robertson,  noted  for  being  the  first  white  male 
child  born  in  Nashville.  His  father,  in  the  spring 
of  1780,  founded  in  these  Indian-haunted  wilds  the 
little  settlement  of  "  Nashborough,"  and  the  name 
"  Felix,"  given  to  the  new  settler  shows  that  they 
were  happy  in  their  adopted  home. 

Near  the  close  of  Governor  Polk's  term,  in  1841, 
he  gave  "  a  party "  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
Tennessee,  which  in  those  days  was  considered  a 
suitable  precursor  to  the  termination  of  his  gov- 
ernorship. One  of  the  expected  guests  was  the 
Ex-President  living  then  in  his  chosen  retirement, 
the  Hermitage.  On  account  of  ill-health,  he  was 
unable  to  be  present.  Mrs.  Polk's  escort  to  the 
table  on  that  occasion  was  the  Rev.  R.  B.  C. 
Howell. 

Governor  Polk  was  a  candidate  for  re-election, 
but  was  defeated  by  Mr.  James  C.  Jones,  and  once 
more  Mrs.  Polk  had  the  pleasing  prospect  of  living 
in  Columbia.  Gifted  with  a  keen  appreciation  of 
social  life,  she  nevertheless  appreciated  as  keenly 
the  pleasures  of  a  home,  though  narrower,  still 
sweeter  and  deeper.  This  endowment  of  opposite 
qualities  made  her  free  from  the  limitations  of  cir- 
cumstances, and  capable  of  happiness  and  useful- 
ness wherever  she  might  be.  She  said  sometimes 
that  she  would   go    into   her  husband's  study  and 


68  TRTP    TO  MISSISSIPPI. 

finding  him  engaged  as  usual,  would  say,  "  You 
work  so  much."  Taking  up  a  newspaper,  he  would 
quietly  reply,  *'  Sarah,  here  is  something  I  wish  you 
to  read."  "  And  so  he  set  me  to  work  too."  In 
giving  him  sympathy  and  assistance  in  many 
wifely  ways,  she  found  no  time  for  loneliness.  A 
letter  often  came  with  the  request,  "  Can't  you 
come  to  Nashville?  I  want  to  confer  with  you." 
In  the  evening  he  would  ask,  "  Sarah,  would  n't 
you  like  to  go  to  Nashville?"  Mrs.  Polk  laugh- 
ingly said,  in  telling  this,  "  I  cannot  find  fault  now 
with  the  ladies  for  going  away  from  home  so 
much,  because  I  went  so  often  with  Mr.  Polk.  I 
always  went,  except  in  cases  when  it  was  obviously 
unsuitable,  and  then  it  would  have  been  foolish  to 
go.  He  always  wished  me  to  go,  and  he  would 
say,  'Why  should  you  stay  at  home  .^  To  take 
care  of  the  house  .'*  \Vh}%  if  the  house  burns  down, 
we  can  live  without  it.'  " 

She  sometimes  went  with  him  to  the  plantation 
in  Mississippi,  going  in  a  carriage  and  taking  a 
riding-horse,  that  he  might  change  to  horse- 
back whenever  he  so  desired.  They  were  enter- 
tained in  the  overseer's  house  and  there  received 
the  visits  of  the  neighbors.  He  was  very  kind  to 
the  negroes  on  his  plantation  and  careful  of  their 
comfort. 


VISIT  FROM  AN  EX-PRESIDENT.  6g 

His  delicate  constitution,  weakened  by  unremit- 
ting labor,  required  the  rest  which  could  be  had 
only  by  adequate  sleep.  The  presence  of  his  wife 
often  prevented  an  indulgence  in  late  hours,  to 
which  he  was  exposed  by  those  who  came  to  talk 
with  him  on  law  matters  or  political  affairs.  To 
help  him  in  this  way  was  one  strong  motiv^e  im- 
pelling her  frequent  journeying  with  him. 

In  April,  1842,  they  had  the  pleasure  of  a  visit 
from  Ex-President  Martin  Van  Buren,  who  was  the 
occupant  of  the  White  House  when  they  left  Wash- 
ington in  1839.  He  was  accompanied  by  the  Hon. 
James  K.  Paulding  of  New  York,  his  Secretary  of 
the  Navy.  They  had  visited  Jackson  at  the  Her- 
mitage, and  after  spending  a  few  days  with  them, 
went  to  Lexington,  to  see  Mr.  Clay.  Old  Hickory 
and  Young  Hickory  gave  every  attention  to  their 
distinguished  guests. 

The  calm  of  this  domestic  life  was  again  dis- 
turbed by  Mr.  Polk's  canvass  for  the  governor- 
ship in  1843.  Letters  frequently  passed  between 
them  in  the  long  absences  occasioned  by  these  can- 
vasses. Writing  from  Jackson,  West  Tennessee, 
April  4,  he  says,  "  Yesterday  I  addressed  a  very 
large  crowd,  including  the  leading  men  of  both 
parties  from  every  part  of  the  State.  I  spoke  for 
three  and  a  half  hours.     I  received  your  letter  to- 


70  CANVASS  FOR   GOVERXOR. 

day.  I  will  be  at  Savannah  on  the  14th,  at  which 
time  I  hope  to  receive  another  letter  from  you. 
After  that,  the  points  on  the  main  stage-route 
where  letters  will  reach  me  without  delay  are 
Somerville,  Memphis,  and  Camden,  and  I  shall 
hope  to  hear  from  you  at  each  of  those  places. 
If  any  letters  come  which  you  think  important, 
enclose  them  to  me." 

On  the  i8th  of  June  he  was  a  guest  of  Dr. 
J.  G.  M.  Ramsey,  at  Mecklenburg,  four  miles 
from  Knoxville,  at  the  romantic  spot  where  the 
Holston  and  the  French  Broad  rivers  unite.  From 
there  he  wrote,  "  You  write  a  little  despondingly, 
and  it  distresses  me  that  you  seem  to  be  in  low 
spirits.  If  I  could  be  with  you,  you  know  I  would. 
It  is,  however,  impossible  for  the  next  six  weeks, 
and  I  hope  you  will  endeavor  to  renew  your  former 
cheerfulness  and  good  spirits."  It  was  his  custom 
in  every  letter  to  her  who  was  so  practically  his 
help-meet,  to  begin  with  the  words,  "  My  dear 
Wife,"  a  short,  simple  phrase,  but  rich  and  weighty 
with  meaning. 

Mr.  Jones  the  opposition  candidate,  was  re- 
elected and  Mr.  Polk  returned  home.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  law  practice,  he  carried  on  a  large 
correspondence  with  political  friends,  among  whom 
were  Silas  Wright  of  New  York,  and  all  the  Demo- 


CORRESPONDENCE.  7 1 

cratic  leaders  of  that  day.  The  interchange  of 
letters  between  him  and  General  Jackson  was 
frequent.  It  is  said  that  Jackson  was  one  of 
the  most  indefatigable  letter-writers  in  the  whole 
country. 


WIFE    OF    THE    PRESIDENT. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

1844-1845. 

TN  May,  1844,  came  the  stirring  event  of  Mr. 
Polk's  nomination  to  the  presidency  by  the 
Democratic  National  Convention  at  Baltimore.  This 
was  followed  by  a  season  of  conflict  and  of  inevi- 
table suspense  and  anxiety;  but  those  weeks  of 
weary  waiting  were  afterward  suffused  with  the  lus- 
tre of  a  triumphant  ending,  and  whatever  sadness 
there  might  have  been  was  forgotten  in  the  joy 
that  followed.  In  November,  by  a  majority  of 
sixty-five  electoral  votes,  and  of  about  forty  thou- 
sand in  the  popular  suffrage,  Mr.  Polk  was  chosen 
President  of  the  United  States. 

In  those  days  all  news  travelled  by  mail,  then  the 
quickest  mode  of  conveyance.  Returns  had  been 
received  from  a  number  of  States  sufficient  to  show 
that  the  vote  of  New  York  would  decide  the  combat 
between  the  Whig  and  Democratic  parties,  —  be- 
tween Mr.  Clay  and  Mr.  Polk.  It  was  generally 
believed  that  New  York  would  vote   for   Mr.   Clay, 


76  A^EIFS   OF  THE  ELECTION. 

and  the  Whig  papers  were  constantly  declaring  that 
he  was  elected.  The  news  from  New  York  was  slow 
in  coming  in,  owing  to  the  magnitude  of  the  terri- 
tory and  the  closeness  of  the  contest.  But,  at  his 
home  in  Columbia,  Mr.  Polk  knew  of  his  election 
twenty  hours  before  the  people  of  that  town  knew 
it,  and  fifteen  hours  before  it  was  known  by  the 
people  of  Nashville.  The  welcome  information 
was  sent  to  him  by  Gen.  Robert  Armstrong,  a 
warm  friend,  who  was  the  postmaster  at  Nashville. 
The  daily  Eastern  mail  arrived  about  9  o'clock  at 
night,  and  General  Armstrong  was  in  the  habit  of 
opening  the  packages  from  all  the  principal  cities  of 
the  country,  and  comparing  the  number  of  letters 
with  the  way-bill.  In  opening  the  package  from 
Cincinnati  he  saw,  in  pencil,  written  on  the  way-bill 
by  the  postmaster  there,  that  New  York  had  cer- 
tainly gone  for  Polk  and  Dallas.  The  Nashville 
postmaster  quietly  placed  the  writing  in  his  pocket, 
handed  the  letters  to  one  of  his  clerks  for  distribu- 
tion, and  retired  to  his  private  room.  He  imme- 
diately sent  a  servant  to  Mr.  George  L.  Sloan,  pro- 
prietor of  a  large  livery  establishment,  a  devoted 
Democrat,  and  an  active  partisan.  He  was  asked  if 
he  could  reach  Columbia,  with  an  important  letter 
for  Governor  Polk,  by  daylight  next  morning.  He 
said  he  could,  and  while  he  went  to  his  stable  for  a 


NEIVS   OF   THE  ELECTION.  yj 

fast  horse,  General  Armstrong  wrote  a  brief  letter 
to  Mr.  Polk,  telling  him  of  the  news  from  the  post- 
master at  Cincinnati.  Mr.  Sloan  rode  rapidly,  and 
obtaining  a  fresh  horse  from  a  friend  a  few  miles 
beyond  Franklin,  reached  Columbia,  a  distance  of 
forty  miles,  by  early  dawn.  Mr.  Polk  was  called 
from  his  bed-chamber,  and  Mr.  Sloan  delivered  the 
letter  in  person,  not  knowing  its  contents.  He  then 
quietly  left  the  town,  and  leisurely  came  home, 
taking  his  own  horse  on  the  way. 

Mr.  Polk  was  very  much  gratified,  of  course,  and 
told  his  wife  the  exciting  news.  They  agreed  to 
keep  it  quiet,  and  went  about  their  daily  duties  as 
usual.  During  the  day  political  opponents,  calling 
at  his  office,  or  meeting  him  on  the  street,  w^ould 
say,  "  Well,  Governor,  we  are  sorry  that  you  are 
defeated,  but  glad  Mr.  Clay  is  elected."  Mr.  Polk 
thanked  these  personal  friends  for  their  good  v/ishes, 
knowing  however  that  they  were  mistaken.  •  The 
mail  next  morning  announced  that  the  large  elec- 
toral vote  of  New  York  had  been  cast  for  Mr.  Polk, 
and  that  he  was  elected. 

A  public  meeting  of  the  Democrats  of  Columbia 
and  of  Maury  County  was  soon  called,  and  the  joy 
of  the  Democrats  knew  no  bounds.  Crowds  came 
pouring  into  town,  the  houses  were  illuminated,  and 
Mr.  Polk's  house  was  besieged  by  a  multitude  who 


78  .YEJVS  OF   THE   ELECTION: 

came  with  a  band  of  music,  and  with  noisy  hurrahs 
and  other  manifestations  of  pleasure  usual  on  such 
occasions. 

Mrs.  Polk  was  in  the  parlor  with  congratulating 
lady  visitors,  when  a  gentleman  entered,  saying, 
"  Airs.  Polk,  some  of  your  husband's  friends  wish  to 
come  into  the  house,  but  w^e  will  not  let  the  crowd 
in,  because  the  street  is  muddy  and  your  carpets 
and  furniture  will  be  spoiled." 

"  The  house  is  thrown  open  to  ev^erybody,"  was 
the  reply.  "  Let  them  all  come  in ;  they  w'ill  not 
hurt  the  carpets." 

This  decision  was  exactly  in  accord  with  Mr. 
Polk's  wishes  and  preferences,  if  not  in  great  part 
unconsciously  impelled  by  them ;  and  coming  in 
that  moment,  he  heartily  seconded  the  enthusiastic 
invitation.  The  next  day,  the  hospitable  lady  sent 
word  to  the  gentleman  who  w^as  so  politely  careful 
regarding  the  soiling  of  her  furniture  that,  just  as 
she  expected,  the  crowd  "  left  no  marks  except 
marks  of  respect." 

The  Whigs  were  in  deep  sorrow^  and  Mr.  Clay's 
defeat  was  greatly  deplored  by  his  large  and  influ- 
ential party.  He  was  their  idol,  and  probably  no 
politician  ever  had  warmer  friends  or  more  bitter 
enemies.  General  Jackson  alone  excepted.  Large 
sums    of  money  had  been  wagered,   and    changed 


PASSAGE   AT  ARMS.  79 

hands,  on  the  result.  In  Tennessee,  owing  to  the  pres- 
ence of  General  Jackson,  the  struggle  was  especially 
violent.  Every  effort  possible  was  put  forth  on  both 
sides  to  obtain  even  a  single  vote,  and  bets  were 
freely  made  that  Tennessee  would  go  for  Mr.  Clay. 
The  race  was  close,  and  Mr.  Polk  lost  Tennessee  by 
only  one  hundred  and  thirteen  votes  in  the  entire 
State. 

Mr.  Polk  visited  Nashville,  and  was  honored  with 
a  public  reception  in  which  both  parties  joined.  A 
civic  and  military  procession  escorted  him  to  the 
Court  House,  where  he  w^as  addressed  by  the  Hon. 
A.  O.  P.  Nicholson.  In  the  evening  many  buildings 
were  illuminated,  and  joy  and  hilarity  prevailed. 

One  day,  at  Columbia,  in  these  agitating  times,  a 
lady  remarked  to  a  friend  of  Mrs.  Polk's  that  she 
hoped  Mr.  Clay  would  be  elected  to  the  presidency, 
because  his  wife  was  a  good  housekeeper,  and  made 
fine  butter.  To  this  singular  remark,  which  seemed 
to  cast  a  reflection  upon  the  wife  of  Mr.  Clay's 
opponent,  a  rather  spirited  retort  was  made,  and  a 
wordy  little  passage  at  arms  followed,  w^hich  w^as 
duly  reported  to  the  lady  supposed  to  be  most 
interested  as  the  rival  of  Mrs.  Clay.  She  was 
amused  at  the  incident,  and  said  to  her  friend, 
"Now,  Ophelia,  you  go  to-morrow  morning  and  tell 
Mrs.  Blank  that  you   are   sorry  for  all  those  sharp 


8o  FAREWELL    TO  JACKSON. 

replies  you  made,  and  tell  her  I  said  that  if  I  should 
be  so  fortunate  as  to  reach  the  White  House,  I 
expect  to  live  on  twenty-five  thousand  dollars 
a  year,  and  I  will  neither  keep  house  nor  make 
butter.  This  answer  will  not  offend  her,  and  neither 
will  I  be  offended."  This  pacific  message  had  the 
desired  effect.  There  has  perhaps  been  no  other  in- 
stance in  which  a  capacity  to  make  good  butter  was 
considered  a  fitting  excellence  for  the  President's 
wife. 

In  February,  1845,  the  journey  to  Washington 
was  begun,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  first  going  to  the 
Hermitage,  near  Nashville,  to  see  General  Jackson. 
Mr.  Jenkins  says,  "  The  leave-taking  was  affec- 
tionate and  impressive,  for  each  felt  conscious  that 
in  all  probability  it  was  a  farewell  forever.  Ere 
another  harvest  moon  shed  its  holy  light  upon  a 
spot  hallowed  by  so  many  memories  and  associa- 
tions, the  'hero  of  New  Orleans'  and'  defender 
of  the  Constitution  '  slept  that  sleep  which  knows 
no  waking.  A  few  years  passed,  and  he  to  whom 
that  parting  blessing  had  been  given  with  so  fair 
and  bright  a  promise  of  a  long  life  before  him,  had 
also  joined  the  assembly  of  the  dead.  Truly,  the 
realities  of  history  are  sometimes  stranger  far  than 
the  wildest  creations  of  fiction." 

Among   those  who    accompanied   Mr.   and   Mrs. 


JOURNEY  TO    WASHImXGTON.  8 1 

Polk  was  Mr.  V.  K.  Stevenson.  They  went  from 
Nashville  to  Wheeling  on  a  small  new  steamer  built 
of  cedar,  called  by  the  river  men  the  "  cedar  boat." 
In  going  up  the  Ohio,  some  distance  below  Louis- 
ville, in  a  terrific  storm,  the  boat  was  blown  ashore 
and  among  the  trees.  Colonel  Stevenson  says  that 
amid  the  general  dismay  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  did 
not  seem  in  the  least  alarmed.  When  they  passed 
Louisville  it  was  late  at  night,  yet  many  people 
were  at  the  wharf,   sending   up   cheer   after   cheer. 

On  Sunday  a  band  of  music  came  on  board,  in- 
tending to  honor  the  President's  party  by  playing 
during  the  day.  When  Mrs.  Polk  first  heard  the 
music,  impelled  by  her  sense  of  right  and  propriety, 
she  requested  Mr.  Stevenson  to  have  it  stopped, 
because  it  was  unseemly  on  that  day.  He  said, 
''  Madame,  it  can  be  done."  When  the  matter 
reached  Mr.  Polk's  ears  he  quietly  remarked, 
"  Sarah  directs  all  domestic  afi'airs,  and  she  thinks 
that  is  domestic." 

At  Madison,  Lidiana,  a  large  party  came  aboard 
and  warmly  welcomed  the  passenger  toward  whom 
all  eyes  were  turning  in  hope  and  anxious  expecta- 
tion. Mr.  Stevenson  presented  many  persons  sep- 
arately, and  toward  the  close  of  the  ceremony  he 
introduced  a  noted,  old-time  L'ish  school-teacher, 
who,  standing  in  front  of  Mr.  Polk,  bowed  low  and 


82  JOURXEY   TO    WASHING  TOM. 

said,  "  Yure  koontenance  is  indicative  of  a  bro-a-d 
ba — sis,"  spinning  out  the  latter  words  to  their 
fullest  extent.  Then  going  behind  him  and  bow- 
ing again,  he  repeated  the  same  words.  Passing 
to  the  front,  he  again  went  through  the  whimsical 
solemnity,  and  left  the  boat  perfectly  satisfied  that 
he  had  made  known  the  true  character  of  the  new 
chief  executive. 

At  Cincinnati,  as  at  all  other  landings,  crowds 
were  on  the  shore,  and  in  every  case,  Mr.  Steven- 
son presented  Mr.  Polk,  who  made  a  brief  reply 
of  thanks.  During  their  stay  of  a  day  or  two  in 
Wheeling,  there  were  throngs  of  callers,  among 
whom  were  representatives  of  all  classes,  and  one 
lady  felt  herself  obliged  to  apologize  because  so 
many  of  the  "common  people"  were  there.  That 
act  of  "  politeness"  only  showed  that  she  had  failed 
to  understand  the  character  of  this  woman,  whose 
exaltation,  so  far  from  raising  a  barrier  between  her 
and  the  masses  of  the  people,  had  enabled  her  the 
better  to  discover  the  good  in  them,  and  to  appre- 
ciate their  kindness.  Mrs.  Polk  in  the  retrospect 
of  her  life,  called  herself  a  "  proud  woman,"  and 
such  she  was,  in  the  highest  sense,  —  proud  of  her 
husband,  of  his  worth  and  his  success;  proud  of 
the  position  and  happiness  with  which  she  had  been 
endow^ed  ;   and  too  proud  to  hold  herself  aloof  from 


JOURNEY   TO    WASHINGTON.  83 

the  humblest  person.  She  had  no  fear  of  any  pos- 
sible tarnish  by  such  association,  and  was  affable 
and  gracious  to  all. 

From  Wheeling  to  Cumberland,  they  travelled  by 
carriage   over  the   National   Road.      This   highway 
was  built  from  Wheeling  to  Baltimore,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  transporting  government  troops  and  stores 
over  the  mountains.     The  most  important  consider- 
ation, however,  was  the  inducement   it  would    offer 
emigrants  to  settle  the  western  lands,  and  thus  bring 
these   lands  into  market   for  sale.      For  years  this 
project  provoked  fierce  discussions  in  Congress,  Mr. 
Polk  being  opposed  to  it,  while  Mr.  Clay  advocated 
the   measure.     Once   an  object  of  great   public  in- 
terest, and  a   means  of  comparative   ease  in  travel, 
the    National  Road   is    now  scarcely  more   than    a 
memory,  and  flourishes  only  in  the  encyclopaedia. 
At  Cumberland,  they  took  the  railroad  train,  and 
at  the  Relay  House,  near  Baltimore,  were  met  by 
committees  from  Washington,  Baltimore,  and  other 
places.     Here  they  were  also  joined  by  the  Vice- 
President-elect,  the  Hon.  George  M.  Dallas.     Mrs. 
Polk   said   that  "  he  was   an   elegant  man,  tall,  ex- 
ceedingly handsome,  and  gentle  in  manner."     Here 
a  scene   occurred,   quite    out  of  keeping  with   the 
dignity  of  the  occasion,  and  illustrating  the  hetero- 
geneous  mixture   of  affairs,  the  continual  nearness 


84  THE   CABINET. 

of  riglit  and  wrong,  of  high  and  low.  A  pickpocket 
in  the  crowd  had  doubtless  heard  that  Mr.  Stevenson 
paid  all  the  expenses  of  the  trip  for  Mr.  Polk,  and 
he  accordingly  undertook  to  get  into  his  pocket. 
He  had  discovered  that  there  were  no  outside 
pockets,  and  was  in  the  act  of  reaching  over  and 
trying  to  get  his  hand  into  the  inside  breast  pocket, 
when  Mr.  Stevenson  caught  it,  and  by  twisting  his 
arm  forced  him  to  come  round  in  front.  The  fel- 
low was  an  affrighted,  woe-begone  spectacle,  and 
when  it  was  learned  that  he  had  failed  in  his  lawless 
purpose,  was  released. 

They  reached  Washington  about  two  weeks  be- 
fore the  4th  of  March,  and  in  this  interim  Mr. 
Polk  accomplished  the  delicate  task  of  selecting 
the  officers  of  his  Cabinet.  The  usages  of  society 
had  established  relations  of  close  intercourse  be- 
tween the  household  of  the  President  and  those 
of  the  Cabinet  officers,  and  his  selection  of  these 
exerted  an  influence  on  his  home  life  as  well  as 
on  public  affairs.  To  the  office  of  Secretary  of 
State  he  appointed  James  Buchanan,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, whose  long  service  in  the  Senate  ad- 
mirably fitted  him  for  that  high  position.  The 
Treasury  Department  was  committed  to  the  care 
of  Robert  J.  Walker,  of  Mississippi.  The  War 
Department  was    placed    under  the  charge  of    ex- 


THE   INAUGURATION.  85 

Governor  William    L.   Marcy,    of    New  York,  and 
the    success    of   his    conduct   in   the   struggle  with 
Mexico  proved   the  wisdom  of   Mr.   Polk's  choice. 
George  Bancroft,  of  Massachusetts,  was  made  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy;   but  after  a  short  time  he  was  sent 
to  the   Court  of   St.   James,    and    John  Y.   Mason, 
of  Virginia,  appointed  in  his  stead.     The  office  of 
Postmaster-General    was    given    to    Cave    Johnson, 
of  Tennessee,   and    during    his    occupancy  of   that 
position  the  reduction  of  the  rates  of  postage  was 
begun.     John  Y.  Mason  had  been  appointed  Attor- 
ney-General, but  upon  his  becoming  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  Nathan   Clifford,   of   Maine,  was  selected   in 
his   place.     Mr.    Clifford    was    afterward    sent   as    a 
commissioner  to  Mexico,  and  Isaac  Toucey,  of  Con- 
necticut, became  Attorney-General.     For  the  confi- 
dential   post    of  Private    Secretary,   the    President 
chose  one  of  his  nephews,  J.  Knox  Walker. 

The  4th  of  March  was  rainy  and  cheerless,  but 
the  ceremonies  of  the  day  filled  the  streets  with 
gayly  dressed  people.  According  to  custom,  the 
President-elect  was  accompanied  by  the  retiring 
President,  and  they  rode  to  the  capitol  in  an  open 
carriage  drawn  by  four  horses,  and  escorted  by 
the  chief  marshal  and  his  aids,  who  carried  as 
emblems  of  the  new  head  of  the  republic,  batons 
of  young    hickory,     decked   with    a    profusion    of 


86  A    A^ATIOXAL   FAN. 

ribbons.  The  President-elect  and  his  escort  were 
received  in  the  Senate  Chamber  by  the  assembled 
Congress.  Mrs.  Polk,  with  several  of  her  special 
friends,  witnessed  the  proceedings  from  the  gallery. 
When  the  oath  of  office  had  been  taken  by  Mr. 
Dallas,  and  some  other  formalities  had  been  com- 
pleted, Mr.  Polk  was  escorted  to  the  eastern 
portico  by  the  members  of  Congress,  the  foreign 
legations,  and  other  distinguished  persons.  This 
procession  was  led,  as  was  customary,  by  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  attired  in  their 
robes  of  office,  seeming  thus  to  give  judicial  sanc- 
tion to  the  choice  of  the  people.  The  vicinity 
of  the  capitol  was  crowded  with  enthusiastic  spec- 
tators. Mrs.  Polk  with  her  friends  was  seated  on 
the  portico.  She  held  in  her  hand  what  may  be 
called  a  national  fan,  which  had  been  presented 
to  her.  In  the  folds,  above  an  ivory  handle  of 
beautiful  open-work,  were  eleven  circles  enclosing 
the  portraits  of  the  eleven  Presidents,  from  Wash- 
ington to  Polk,  each  inscribed  with  the  name  and 
the  date  of  the  term  of  office.  Above  Mr.  Polk's 
was  written,  **  President-elect."  In  the  flower- 
gilded  spaces  between  these  circles  were  the  United 
States  escutcheon,  and  statues  of  the  Goddess  of 
Liberty.  On  the  reverse  was  an  oval  picture  of 
the  signing    of  the    Declaration    of   Independence. 


THE    INAUGURATION    FAN. 


IXAUGURATION  BIBLE.  8/ 

Chief-Justice  Taney  administered  the  oath  of 
office.  The  multitude  Hstened  quietly  during  the 
delivery  of  the  Inaugural  Address,  then  with  shouts 
and  cheers  applauding  the  new-made  President, 
joined  the  procession,  and  attended  him  in  a  vast 
body  to  the  door  of  the  White  House. 

The  Bible  upon  which  the  oath  was  taken  is  a 
small  one,  printed  in  clear,  minion  type,  bound  in 
black  morocco,  and  was  presented  to  Mrs.  Polk  by 
Alexander  Hunter,  chief  marshal  of  the  District 
of  Columbia.  On  the  fly-leaves  he  wrote  the 
following  letter :  — 

"  Madame,  —  I  feel  it  alike  an  honor,  a  pleas- 
ure, and  a  duty,  to  present  you  (as  I  now  do) 
the  sacred  volume  on  which  the  oath  of  office  as 
President  of  these  United  States  was  administered 
to  your  honored  husband  on  the  4th  day  of 
March  just  passed.  I  will  not  permit  myself  to 
doubt  that  it  will  be  esteemed  and  preserved  by 
you  as  a  sacred  and  not  unbefitting  memorial  of 
an  event  of  interest  to  your  family.  It  is  calcu- 
lated to  unite  in  solemn  associations  the  recollec- 
tion of  the  highest  honor  on  this  earth,  with  the 
bright  hopes  and  glorious  promises  of  another 
and  happier  sphere  of  existence.  United  with 
>'our  distinguished  husband  in  the  enjoyment  of 
the    utmost    favor     of    his    countrymen,    and    the 


88  INAUGURATION  BAIL. 

hicrhest    station  which    their  votes    and    their  con- 

o 

fidence  can  bestow,  when  time  shall  have  passed, 
and  the  troubles  and  the  honors  of  this  life  shall 
have  known  their  termination,  may  your  union 
still  continue  undisturbed,  and  be  blessed  with 
that  happiness  which  the  Holy  Book  teaches,  as 
the  hope  and  the  promise." 

A  group  of  select  friends  dined  with  the  President 
and  his  wife  at  the  White  House,  and  this  eventful 
day  was  closed  with  the  customary  Inauguration 
Ball.  This  took  place  in  Carusi's  Hall,  and  was  in- 
tended as  an  opportunity  for  the  people  to  get  a 
near  view  of  the  new  chief  magistrate.  To  prevent 
too  great  a  crowd,  the  tickets  were  sold  at  ten  dollars 
each.  When  the  President  and  his  party  entered 
and  took  their  places  on  a  platform  at  the  end  of 
the  hall,  the  dancing  ceased,  and  the  band  played 
"  Hail  to  the  Chief,"  and  there  was  a  general  recep- 
tion. Mrs.  Polk  remembered  that  she  wore  a  ma- 
zarine blue  velvet  dress,  with  a  deeply  fringed  cape. 
When  the  ceremony  of  introduction  and  handshak- 
ing was  over,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  with  their  friends 
left  the  hall. 

The  new  mistress  of  the  White  House  showed 
her  simplicity  and  moderation  in  her  decision  con- 
cerning the  renovation  customary  with  each  new 
resident   in    the    old   mansion.      The   "  New   York 


REFUSIIVG  PRESENTS. 


89 


Journal    of    Commerce "  commended   her   sensible 
views  as  follows :  — 

"  A  couple  of  upholsterers  who  went  from  this  city  to  pro- 
cure so  much  of  the  job  as  falls  within  their  department, 
came  back  with  very  reduced  expectations.  They  were 
referred  to  the  President's  lady,  who  gave  them  a  cour- 
teous interview  of  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  but  told  them 
that  only  the  public  rooms  would  require  repairs,  for  if  the 
private  apartments  had  been  satisfactory  to  Mrs.  Tyler,  they 
would  be  so  to  herself" 

One  day,  soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  adminis- 
tration, some  one  sent  a  fine  riding-horse  to  the 
White  House  stable.  When  the  President  heard  of 
the  gift,  he  told  his  secretary  to  have  the  horse  sent 
to  the  livery-stable  and  to  inform  the  owner  where 
it  was.  He  would  accept  presents  of  little  worth, 
such  as  books,  canes,  etc ,  but  m.ust  decline  any  of 
larger  value.  This  wise  course  effectually  closed 
an  opening  to  irregularities  and  corruption.  Not 
long  afterward,  the  citizens  of  New  York  wished  to 
present  to  him  a  carriage  and  horses,  but  he  de- 
clined the  proffered  kindness.  These  two  instances 
convinced  the  public  of  his  determination,  and  no 
one  afterward  ventured  to  offer  a  costly  gift,  for  fear 
of  giving  offence.  Sometimes  a  naval  officer  would 
say  to  Mrs.  Polk  that  in  a  foreign  country  he  had 
seen  some  rare  or  rich  article  which  he  wished  very 


90  HOX.   JOHN  C.    CALHOUX. 

mucli  to  bring  home  to  her,  but  had  feared  to  do 
so.  In  later  Hfe  she  said  that  she  did  not  then 
reaHze  as  fully  as  afterward,  the  worth  of  such  a 
rigid  and  self-denying  uprightness,  and  would  smil- 
ingly say  to  her  husband,  "  Oh,  I  have  lost  so  many 
pretty  things  by  your  refusing  to  take  costly  pres- 
ents !  "  He  would  never  consent  to  accept  such 
favors  for  his  wife  any  more  than  for  himself 

Mr.  Polk  had  been  privately  informed  that  the 
Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun,  the  Secretary  of  State  in 
Mr.  Tyler's  Cabinet,  was  desirous  of  remaining  in 
that  office  until  the  annexation  of  Texas  was  con- 
summated, a  measure  which  he  ardently  advocated. 
Mr.  Polk  was  also  solicitous  concerning  it,  and  Mr. 
Calhoun  naturally  expected  to  remain.  But  the 
pressure  of  the  politicians  was  against  his  retention, 
and  Mr.  Polk  tendered  him  the  mission  to  Eng- 
land. This  post  was  declined,  and  preparations 
were  made  for  his  return  to  South  Carolina.  He 
had  for  years  cherished  a  cordial  friendship  for  Mrs. 
Polk,  and  calling  to  bid  her  farewell,  she  expressed 
her  regret  that  he  had  decided  not  to  accept  the 
mission.  '*  Madame,"  replied  the  distinguished 
South  Carolinian,  "  you  know  me  well  enough  to  be 
aware  that  I  am  a  domestic  man  in  my  nature  and 
habits,  and  that  such  a  place  would  not  suit  my 
taste."     She    admired    his    great    powers,    and    his 


GOING    TO   CHURCH.  9 1 

honest  adherence  to  the  poHtical  principles  he  be- 
heved  to  be  right,  whatever  might  be  the  convic- 
tions of  others.  He  was  a  worthy  descendant  of 
the  resolute  Huguenots,  many  of  whom  in  their  ex- 
patriation fled  to  South  Carolina,  and  enriched  tliat 
State  by  their  noble  character  and  valuable  labors. 

The  ladies  of  the  diplomatic  circle  added  much 
to  the  vivacity  and  enjoyment  of  social  affairs. 
The  wife  of  the  Russian  Minister  possessed  unusual 
attractions.  Mrs.  Polk  had  known  Madame  Bodisco 
when  she  was  Miss  Williams,  and  a  pupil  at  the 
Georgetown  school.  It  is  said  that  the  dignified 
ambassador  then  met  the  young  school-girl  who 
subsequently  became  his  bride. 

Of  those  connected  with  the  families  of  the  sec- 
retaries, perhaps  it  was  to  Mrs.  Marcy  that  the 
President's  wife  was  most  strongly  attached.  They 
often  went  to  church  together,  Mrs.  Marcy  attend- 
ing the  Presbyterian,  with  her  friend,  and  Mrs.  Polk 
returning  the  favor  by  going  with  Mrs.  Marcy  to 
the  Baptist  Church.  During  the  fourteen  years  of 
her  residence  in  Washington,  while  her  husband  was 
in  Congress,  Mrs.  Polk  was  a  regular  attendant  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  on  Four-and-a-half 
Street,  not  far  from  the  capitol.  When  she  returned, 
it  was  supposed  that  she  would  worship  with  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Lowrie's  church,  not  far  from  the  White 


92  DANCING  DISCONTINUED. 

House.  But  she  continued  to  frequent  the  old  sanc- 
tuary, though  it  was  a  mile  away.  "  I  loved  the  fami- 
liar place,"  she  said ;  **  and  why  should  I  not  go 
there,  when  it  was  my  intention  to  ride,  and  a  mile 
more  would  make  no  difference?" 

The  dazzling  and  deceptive  allurements  insepar- 
able from  high  position  had  no  power  to  blind  her 
to  the  truth.  She  regularly  attended  church,  duly 
observed  the  Sabbath,  and  maintained  Christian 
charities.  **  The  greater  the  prosperity,"  she  said, 
"  the  deeper  the  sense  of  gratitude  to  the  Almighty 
Power  from  whom  all  blessings  flow.  My  heart 
never  yielded  to  worldly  honors  or  self-vanity."  In 
her  new  home,  one  effect  of  her  principles  was  the 
discontinuance  of  dancing.  This  stroke  of  author- 
ity made  a  sensation,  and  with  a  few  exceptions 
was  universally  applauded.  Some  young  ladies  re- 
monstrated :  *'  Oh,  Mrs.  Polk,  why  will  you  not 
let  us  dance?  These  rooms  are  so  magnificent." 
"  Would  you  dance  in  so  public  a  place  as  this?" 
she  would  ask;  and  when  they  said  yes  her  reply 
was,  "  I  would  not.  To  dance  in  these  rooms 
would  be  undignified,  and  it  would  be  respectful 
neither  to  the  house  nor  to  the  office.  How  in- 
decorous it  would  seem  for  dancing  to  be  going 
on  in  one  apartment,  while  in  another  we  were 
conversincr    with    dic^nitaries    of    the    republic     or 


A/A'S.    MADISON. 


93 


ministers  of  the  gospel.  This  unseemly  juxtaposi- 
tion would  be  likely  to  occur  at  any  time,  were 
such  amusements  permitted." 

The  "  Nashville  Union "  thus  applauded  her 
decision :  — 

"  The  example  of  Mrs.  Polk  can  hardly  fail  of  exerting 
a  salutary  influence.  Especially  does  it  rebuke  the  con- 
duct of  those  ladies  who  professing  godliness,  nevertheless 
dishonor  its  profession  by  their  eager  participation  in  the 
follies  and  amusements  of  the  world.  However  politicians 
may  differ  in  regard  to  the  merit  of  Mr.  Polk's  administration, 
there  can  be  no  difference  as  respects  that  of  his  lady,  in 
her  department  of  the  Presidential  mansion." 

Mrs.  Polk  saw  Mrs.  Madison  frequently,  and  en- 
joyed taking  her  for  a  drive  on  pleasant  summer 
afternoons.  It  was  the  custom  to  invite  her  to 
every  Cabinet  dinner,  and  to  all  entertainments 
given  at  the  White  House,  the  President  himself 
escorting  her  to  the  table.  She  w^as  always  attired 
in  black  silk  or  velvet,  with  a  kerchief  of  muslin 
and  lace  around  her  neck  and  shoulders,  folded 
across  the  bosom.  In  after  years  Mrs.  Polk 
wrote,  "  The  White  House  was  the  abode  of 
pleasure  while  I  was  there."  At  the  weekly  re- 
ceptions, she  pleased  every  caller  with  her  words 
of  welcome.  At  the  large  dinners,  complimentary 
to  distinguished  persons,  members  of  the  Cabinet, 


94  MARKIXG   NEWSPAPERS. 

civil,  military,  and  naval  officers,  eminent  citizens, 
diplomatists,  and  noted  foreigners,  the  dignity  and 
courtesy  of  the  hostess  impressed  every  one,  and 
her  praises  were  trumpeted  by  the  newspapers. 

The  President's  duties  left  him  little  time  for 
even  a  cursory  scanning  of  the  numerous  news- 
papers. There  were  frequent  allusions  to  his  ad- 
ministration, and  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  know 
the  drift  of  public  feeling  and  opinion.  He  would 
send  the  papers  to  his  wife,  requesting  her  to 
examine  them  and  mark  such  articles  as  it  was 
desirable  for  him  to  read.  This  task,  requiring 
judgment  and  knowledge  of  public  affairs,  she 
gladly  performed.  Carefully  folding  the  papers 
with  the  marked  pieces  outside,  where  a  glance 
might  detect  them,  she  would  place  the  pile  be- 
side his  chair,  so  that  whenever  a  few  moments  of 
leisure  came,  he  could  find  and  read  without  loss 
of  time.  Knowing  much  of  political  affairs  she 
found  pleasure  in  the  society  of  gentlemen ;  and 
some  one  remarked  that  ''  she  was  always  in  the 
parlor  with  Mr.   Polk." 

In  a  letter  to  her  from  Judge  Catron,  dated  at 
Nashville,  June,   1845,  ^^  says:  — 

"  We  had  the  pleasure  to  hear  by  Mrs.  Marshall's 
letter  that  you  were  very  well,  and  the  President 
not —  overworked,  of  course.     On  this  head  I  am 


LETTER  FROM  JUDGE   CATROX.  95 

uneasy,  and  advise  lectures  on  your  part,  on  all  in- 
ordinate and  especially  irregular  labors.  The  ma- 
chinery of  government  looks  well  at  a  distance, 
smooth,  still,  and  statesmanlike.  I  think  the  Presi- 
dent has  deeply  impressed  upon  him  the  early  copy 
set  him  in  the  old  field  school:  '  Least  said  is  soon- 
est mended.'  It  is  worth  more  in  practice  than  all 
ever  written  in  Italy  and  France  on  slippery  policy. 
All  sides  seem  to  vie  in  vaunting  you,  and  if  this 
keeps  on  through  the  four  years,  will  stilt  you  up 
to  so  giddy  a  height  that  you  may  incur  more 
danger  in  getting  down  than   in  climbing  up." 

The  following  paper,  written  by  Mr.  Polk  on  his 
fiftieth  birthday,  Sunday,  November  2,  1845,  was 
found  among  his  manuscripts,   long  afterward: 

"Attended  the  Methodist  Church  (called  the 
Foundery  Church)  to-day,  in  company  with  my 
private  secretary,  J.  Knox  Walker.  It  was  an  in- 
clement day,  there  being  rain  from  an  early  hour 
in  the  morning,  and  Mrs.  Polk  and  the  ladies  of 
my  household  did  not  attend  church  to-day.  Mrs. 
Polk  being  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
I  generally  attend  that  church  with  her,  though 
my  opinions  and  predilections  are  in  favor  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  This  was  my  birthday,  being 
fifty  years  old.  The  text  was  from  the  Acts  of 
the   Apostles,    chap.    17,    verse    31:    'Because    He 


96  ^^^S'   POLK'S  BIRTHDAY. 

hath  appointed  a  day,  in  the  which  He  will  judge  the 
world  in  righteousness  by  that  man  whom  He  hath 
ordained.'  It  was  communion  da}%  and  the  sermon 
was  solemn  and  forcible.  It  awakened  the  reflec- 
tion that  I  had  lived  fifty  years,  and  that  before  fifty 
years  more  would  expire  I  would  be  sleeping  with 
the  generations  which  have  gone  before  me.  I 
thought  of  the  vanity  of  this  world's  honors,  how- 
little  they  would  profit  me  half  a  century  hence, 
and  that  it  was  time  for  me  to  be  *  putting  my 
house  in  order.'  " 

A  New  York  newspaper  of  the  time  says  of  him  : 

"  He  would  have  a  pew  in  church  and  regularly  occupy 
it.  No  visitor  would  be  admitted  into  his  house  on  the 
Sabbath  except  family  acquaintances.  If  a  week's  journey 
was  to  be  undertaken  he  would  start  on  Monday  morning 
and  reach  the  place  on  Saturday  night.  And  all  this 
though  not  a  professor  of  religion.  Mr.  Polk  had  a  deli- 
cacy and  propriety  of  feeling,  which  showed  how  well  and 
kindly  he  had  yielded  his  heart  and  his  habits  to  a  most 
auspicious  domestic  influence ;  how  fully  he  acknowledged 
the  legitimate  influence  of  a  pious  wife,  to  whom  he  was 
bound  by  ties  of  the  strongest  affection,  and  who  indeed 
was,  in  many  senses,  his  guardian  angel  amid  the  perils  and 
darkness  of  the  way." 


LIFE   AT    THE   WHITE    HOUSE, 


THE   PRESIDENT  AND   MRS.  POLK. 


From  a  copy  of  one  of  (he  first  Daguerreotypes  made  at 
IVashiiigton,  1847  or  1848. 


o 


CHAPTER  VII. 

I 846-1 849. 

NE  afternoon  in  July,  when  the  beams  of  the 
sun  were  flaming  with  scorching  heat,  Mrs. 
Polk  was  sitting  at  a  window  overlooking  a  part  of 
the  White  House  grounds  where  several  men  were 
at  work.  Her  husband  was  absorbed  in  writing, 
and  there  was  no  one  else  present. 

*'  Mr.  Polk,"  she  suddenly  said,  "  the  writers  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  were  mistaken 
when    they    affirmed    that    all    men    are    created 

equal." 

•'Oh,    Sarah,"    said    he,    ''that   is   one   of    your 

foolish  fancies." 

**But,  Mr.  Polk,"  she  returned,  'Met  me  illustrate 
what  I  mean.  There  are  those  men  toiling  in  the 
heat  of  the  sun,  while  you  are  writing,  and  I  am 
sitting  here  fanning  myself,  in  this  house  as  airy 
and  delightful  as  a  palace,  surrounded  with  every 
comfort.  Those  men  did  not  choose  such  a  lot  in 
life,  neither  did  we  ask  for  ours;  we  were  created 
for  these  places." 


lOO  LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE   HOUSE. 

Mr.  Polk  was  amused  at  her  criticism  on  the 
venerable  and  honored  document,  and  rehearsed 
the  incident  as  an  example  of  "  Sarah's  acumen." 
Circumstances  certainly  seem  sometimes  to  dis- 
prove the  grand  truth  that  all  men  are  created 
with  equal  rights  to  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness ;  but  she  believed,  as  we  all  do,  that 
it  is  nevertheless  the  powerful  principle  underly- 
ing the  beneficent  liberty  and  marvellous  growth  of 
our  country.  It  is  the  wonder-working  Aladdin's 
lamp  of  the  Occident,  holding  forth  the  radiant 
light  of  a  new  era,  and  its  mighty  genius  is  build- 
ing homes  of  peace  and  content  for  the  poor  and 
oppressed  of  every  land. 

The  following  extract  is  from  a  letter  of  Judge 
Lewis  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  who  was  Mrs. 
Polk's  agent  in  the  following  incident:  — 

"On  the  4th  of  July,  1846,  the  President's  man- 
sion was  thrown  open  for  the  reception  of  visitors, 
and  the  rooms  gradually  filled  with  guests  '  of  high 
and  low  degree.'  Amid  the  motley  groups  present, 
the  President's  lady  was  receiving  with  becoming 
courtesy  the  guests  who  advanced  to  pay  their 
respects,  when  she  perceived  an  old  man,  sup- 
ported by  a  long  cane,  and  dressed  in  humble 
garb,  totter  into  the  room,  and  in  a  diffident  man- 
ner  take    a   station   at    a   distance    and    gaze   with 


LIFE   AT  THE    WHITE   HOUSE.  1 01 

unminglcd  wonder  upon  the  scene  before  him. 
Mrs.  Polk  despatched  a  gentleman  with  whom 
she  was  then  conversing,  to  bring  the  old  man 
to  her,  and  talked  with  him  for  some  time  with 
the  kindly  sympathy  for  old  age  which  is  a  beau- 
tiful feature  of  woman's  character.  He  said  that 
he  was  one  hundred  and  five  years  old,  had  dined 
with  Washington,  and  his  memory  reached  thirty 
years  beyond  the  stirring  events  of  the  American 
Revolution.  His  reminiscences  of  bygone  times 
were  received  with  attention  by  his  auditress,  and 
when  other  guests  claimed  her  ear,  she  followed 
the  old  man  with  her  eye,  and  directed  that  the 
venerable  visitor  should  be  treated  with  special 
respect.  This  incident,  while  it  evinces  that  Mrs. 
Polk's  heart  was  where  it  always  is,  in  the  right 
place,  speaks  volumes  in  favor  of  our  republican 
institutions.  The  poor  man  enters  the  Palace  of 
the  People,  stands  in  the  presence  of  assembled 
senators  and  ambassadors,  converses  with  the  lofti- 
est lady  in  the  republic,  and  receives  every  attention 
and  respect." 

In  those  times,  there  were  few  of  the  flowers  and 
vines  whose  natural  grace  now  adorns  the  grounds 
of  the  White  House.  Some  years  later,  funds  were 
voted  by  Congress  for  the  establishment  and  main- 
tenance   of  a    greenhouse   there.     A    conservatory 


102  LIFE   AT  THE    WHTTE  HOUSE. 

was  attached  to  the  Patent  Office,  but  the  public 
did  not  have  the  privilege  of  plucking  the  flowers. 
Whenever  the  President's  wife  came,  the  gardener 
cut  a  profusion  of  blossoms,  and  arranging  them 
into  a  handsome  bouquet,  presented  it  to  her. 
Occasionally,  visitors  who  observed  this  would  ask 
a  similar  favor,  to  which  his  reply  would  be  that 
he  was  not  allowed  to  give  the  flowers  away. 
When  it  was  rejoined,  "  You  gave  some  to  that 
lady,"  he  would  disclose  that  lady's  name.  Some 
of  them  would  be  satisfied,  but  others  were  of- 
fended. **  I  did  not  desire  this  distinction  to  be 
made  between  others  and  myself,"  she  said,  "  and 
I  requested  the  gardener  not  to  cut  any  more 
flowers  for  me.  His  reply  was,  *  Madame,  if  you 
will  receive  them,  I  will  still  give  you  flowers.' 
But  I  did  not  wish  for  the  attention.  I  always 
had  so  much  that  I  could  not  wish  for  more." 

A  letter  from  Washington  in  November,  1846, 
says : — 

*'  At  no  period  in  our  history  have  we  seen  the 
hospitalities  of  the  White  House  more  handsomely 
dispensed,  or  displayed  with  greater  republican 
simplicity.  There  is  no  extra  formality  exhibited 
when  a  Secretary  or  some  other  high  officer  of 
government  presents  himself.  The  quiet,  unher- 
alded  citizen   receives  a  polite   and   cordial   saluta- 


LIFE  AT   THE    WHITE   HOUSE.  103 

tion,  as  well  as  the  rich  man  or  the  Minister  of 
State.  I  was  struck  with  Mrs.  Polk's  patriotic 
sentiments.  A  gallant  lieutenant,  just  from  the 
bloody  but  glorious  conflict  at  Monterey  was  there 
also ;  and  as  she  carried  back  his  thoughts  to  the 
distant  field  of  his  fame,  he  caught  the  inspiration, 
and  dwelt  briefly  upon  some  of  the  thrilling  inci- 
dents of  those  scenes.  In  the  course  of  this  ani- 
mated conversation,  the  young  officer  remarked  that 
something  —  I  do  not  now  recollect  what  —  was 
rather  too  democratic ;  to  which  Mrs.  Polk  replied 
that  whatever  sustained  the  honor  and  advanced 
the  interests  of  the  country,  whether  regarded  as 
democratic  or  not,  she  admired  and  applauded." 

On  Christmas  Day  Mr.  Polk's  thoughts  were  with 
his  old  home  in  Columbia,  and  with  the  central 
figure  of  that  home,  his  mother,  to  whom  he  wrote 
as  follows :  — 

"Dear  Mother:— It  has  been  many  months 
since  I  have  written  to  you,  but  you  have  been 
constantly  in  my  affectionate  remembrance.  My 
whole  time  has  been  occupied  in  the  performance 
of  my  public  duties.  This  is  Christmas  Day,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  quiet  days  I  have  spent  since  I 
have  been  President.  Congress  does  not  sit,  the 
public    offices    are    all    closed,   and   the   population 


104  LIFE   AT   THE    WHITE  HOUSE. 

generally  attend  church.  My  official  term  has 
nearly  half  expired.  My  public  responsibilities 
and  cares  are  very  great,  and  I  shall  rejoice  when 
the  period  shall  arrive  when  I  can  bid  adieu  to  pub- 
lic life  forever.  I  shall  return  to  Tennessee  at  the 
close  of  my  term,  and  spend  the  remainder  of  m}- 
life  in  quiet  retirement." 

In  the  summer  of  1847  the  President,  with  several 
state  officers  and  a  few  personal  friends,  made  a  tour 
in  the  northern  and  eastern  States.  A  Buffalo  news- 
paper had  a  long  article  about  the  reception  in  that 
city,  and  said,  among  many  other  good  things:  — 

"  We  are  not  in  the  least  addicted  to  man- worship  ;  we 
look  upon  the  man  with  no  more  regard  because  he  holds 
an  office,  for  this  is  only  an  evidence  of  his  worth  in  the 
estimation  of  his  fellow-citizens.  But  we  do  give  honor  to 
the  faithful  discharge  of  public  trusts,  that  others  may  be 
led  to  emulate  the  example.  The  administration  of  Presi- 
dent Polk  has  been  one  of  great  events,  and  will  form  an 
era  in  our  history.  There  has  been  a  combination  of  those 
events  which  has  scarcely  occurred  since  the  organization 
of  the  government." 

The  reception  in  New  York  was  a  grand  one. 
The  people  were  out  in  vast  numbers.  One  of  the 
newspapers  of  the  day,  said  :  — 

"  We  confess  that  we  admire  the  man.  not  less  for  the 
stern  integrity  and  purity  of  his  private  life,  the  noble  and 


LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE   HOUSE.  105 

sterling  qualities  of  his  personal  character,  than  for  the 
honorable  and  commanding  station  which  he  holds  as  the 
reward  of  his  political  integrity,  his  private  virtues,  and  his 
personal  worth." 

Mrs.  Polk  went  as  far  as  Baltimore,  where  she 
left  the  presidential  party  and  travelled  west  under 
the  care  of  Mr.  Sumner,  a  young  Tennessean,  a 
clerk  in  one  of  the  departments,  whose  vacation 
occurred  just  at  that  time.  Some  members  of  the 
party  begged  her  to  change  her  purpose.  "  Do  you 
want  the  trouble  of  having  me  all  through  the  trip," 
she  asked,  "  when  a  separate  committee  and  a  sep- 
arate suite  of  apartments  for  my  use  are  always 
necessary?  "  "  I  could  not  go  with  Mr.  Polk  at  the 
receptions,"  she  said  to  us  in  relating  these  experi- 
ences, "  for  he  was  always  with  the  officials,  and  I 
could  not  stand  with  him  to  shake  hands  with  the 
multitude  who  crowded  to  see  him,  the  populace, 
the  working-men,  the  high  and  low  whom  he  must 
receive.  In  these  days  opinions  and  manners  are 
quite  different.  The  ladies  go  with  the  gentlemen 
into  all  places  and  all  assemblies.  In  those  days  it 
was  not  thought  suitable  or  dignified  for  them  to  be 
thus  prominent  and  conspicuous." 

While  visiting  her  mother,  she  received  the 
following  letter,  dated  July  4,  1847,  Portland, 
Maine:  — 


I06  LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE. 

My  dear  Wife  :  —  After  I  wrote  to  you  at 
Lowell  on  the  morning  of  the  2d  inst.,  I  proceeded 
to  this  place,  where  I  was  handsomely  received,  and 
proceeded  the  same  evening  to  Augusta  (the  seat 
of  government  of  the  State),  and  arriving  about 
one  o'clock  on  the  3d,  found  the  capitol  and  the 
whole  city  brilliantly  illuminated.  On  the  3d  (yes- 
terday) I  had  perhaps  as  gratifying  a  reception  as 
I  have  received*  on  my  tour.  I  was  received  by 
both  branches  of  the  legislature,  in  the  hall  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and  was  addressed  by  the 
Governor ;  to  which  I  of  course  responded,  as  I  think 
in  one  of  my  happiest  efforts.  Afterwards  I  was 
introduced  to  as  many  of  the  immense  crowd,  and 
especially  of  the  ladies,  as  could  have  access  to  me. 
Senator  Evans  met  me  at  Augusta  and  behaved 
very  handsomely.  At  five  o'clock  I  visited  his 
family  in  the  town  in  which  he  lives  (five  miles 
from  Augusta),  and  afterwards,  on  a  platform 
erected  on  the  wharf,  just  before  going  on  board 
the  steamboat  to  return  to  this  city,  Mr.  Evans  ad- 
dressed me  in  the  presence  of  some  two  thousand 
persons,  male  and  female,  in  a  very  handsome  man- 
ner and  in  a  very  kind  spirit,  to  which  of  course  I 
responded;  and  my  friends  say  I  made  the  best 
speech  of  the  tour.  I  can  give  you  no  more  de- 
tails, but  content  myself  by  saying  that  my  whole 


LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE.  lO/ 

visit  has  been  of  the  most  gratifying  character.  The 
receptions  given  me  by  the  legislatures  and  execu- 
tives of  New  Hampshire  and  Maine,  in  their  official 
character  as  such,  were  highly  honorable  to  me, 
and  were  all  that  my  friends  could  have  desired. 
Nothing  of  a  party  or  of  an  unpleasant  character  has 
occurred  anywhere.  I  reached  here  about  midnight, 
last  night,  and  have  spent  a  very  quiet  day,  having 
been  twice  to  church.  Mr.  Buchanan,  Mr.  Clif- 
ford, Judge  Woodbury,  Governor  Hubbard,  General 
Anderson,  Governor  Dana,  and  Governor  Fairfield, 
of  Maine,  Governor  Monten,  of  Louisiana,  Commo- 
dore Stuart,  besides  many  members  of  Congress 
with  whom  I  have  served,  have  been  with  me  for 
several  days.  In  a  word,  I  am  highly  delighted 
with  my  visit.  On  to-morrow.  I  proceed  on  my 
return,  dining  at  Portsmouth  (Judge  Woodbury's 
residence) ;  expect  to  reach  Boston  at  five  o'clock, 
p.  M.,  and  proceed  immediately  to  New  York,  where 
I  will  arrive  the  next  morning,  and  expect  to  arrive 
at  Washington  on  Wednesday  morning.  My  health 
has  been  good,  but  my  fatigue  has  been  so  great 
that  I  have  been  at  some  times  almost  worn  down, 
and  hence  some  of  the  newspapers  have  represented 
me  to  be  in  bad  health. 

Mr.  Burke  tells  me  he  has  written  to  you  to-day, 
and  I  send  you  several  newspapers,  which  will  fur- 


I08  LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE. 

nish  you  with  many  incidents  connected  with  my 
tour,  which  I  have  not  time  or  opportunity  to  write. 
I  have  received  no  letter  from  you,  except  the  one 
you  wrote  at  Wheehng.  I  hope  you  reached  the 
end  of  your  journey  safely,  and  I  calculate  that  you 
are  to-night  with  your  mother  and  sister  at  Mur- 
freesborough. 

Your  affectionate  husband, 

James  K.  Polk. 

On  the  last  page,  Mr.  Buchanan  adds  a  postscript: 

"  P.  S.  —  I  cannot  omit  this  opportunity  of  pre- 
senting you  my  kindest  regards.  There  was  nothing 
wanting  to  make  our  party  everything  it  ought  to 
have  been  but  your  presence.  We  have  got  along 
as  well  as  could  have  been  expected  in  your  absence. 
The  President  has  everywhere  been  received  with 
enthusiasm,  and  has  played  Republican  in  grand 
style.  He  has  made  a  decided  impression  on  New 
England.  One  of  the  prettiest  exhibitions  on  both 
sides  I  have  ever  witnessed  came  off  last  even- 
ing between  him  and  Mr.  Evans,  of  Maine.  The 
speeches  of  both  were  excellent ;  but  I  think  the 
President's  impromptu  reply  surpassed  the  studied 
effort  of  the  ex-Senator,  who  has  behaved  himself 
extremely  well  throughout." 


LIFE   AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE.  109 

A  glimpse  of  familiar  scenes,  and  a  re-union  with 
dear  friends,  was  the  pleasure  of  Mrs.  Polk's  visit  to 
Tennessee;  but  the  trip  was  mainly  taken  on  ac- 
count of  some  items  of  business.  Determining  to 
fix  his  residence  in  Nashville  at  the  close  of  his  ad- 
ministration, Mr.  Polk  had  purchased  the  home  of 
the  late  Judge  Felix  Grundy,  in  whose  office  he  had 
studied  law  in  his  youth.  Judge  Grundy  was,  in 
his  day,  the  most  celebrated  criminal  lawyer  in  the 
South,  and  he  had  attained  high  honors  also  in  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States.  This  purchase  was 
effected  by  the  sale  of  Mr.  Polk's  patrimonial  estate 
in  Columbia  and  Maury  County,  and  was  not  much 
more  than  an  exchange  of  residences.  The  new 
home  was  receiving  additions  and  alterations,  under 
the  supervision  of  Mr.  V.  K.  Stevenson,  Mr.  John 
B.  Johnson,  and  other  of  Mr.  Polk's  friends,  and  his 
wife  came  to  suggest  whatever  changes  she  might 
desire.  In  October  a  powder  magazine  west  of 
Capitol  Hill  was  struck  by  lightning  and  a  terrific 
explosion  appalled  the  city.  The  north  and  west 
walls  of  the  Polk  mansion  were  so  shaken  that  it 
was  necessary  to  rebuild  them.  On  her  return  to 
Washington  Mrs.  Polk  chose  the  interior  fittings  of 
the  house.  Knowing  the  exact  dimensions  of  floors, 
walls,  and  windows,  she  went  sometimes  to  Stewart's 
establishment  in  New  York  City  to  make  purchases, 


no  LIFE  AT  THE   WHITE   HOUSE. 

and  sometimes  rolls  of  material  were  brought  to  the 
White  House  for  her  inspection.  In  this  way,  while 
gratifying  her  own  taste,  she  prevented  the  unwise 
outlay  of  many  hundreds  of  dollars,  likely  to  be 
thoughtlessly  expended  by  incautious  ordering. 

Some  time  after  her  return  to  the  capital  Mrs. 
Polk  had  the  unusual  experience  of  a  severe  sick- 
ness. A  correspondent  of  the  "  Baltimore  Sun  " 
writes  from  Washington :  — 

"  We  have  a  peculiar  sorrow  in  the  dangerous  illness  of 
the  honored  lady  of  President  Polk.  All  admire  her  char- 
acter, all  revere  her  virtues,  and  all  with  one  consent  join 
in  supplicating  the  Father  of  mercies  to  spare  her  long, 
very  long,  to  her  husband  and  the  friends  to  whom  she  is 
so  dear." 

Mrs.  Maury,  in  her  volume,  "  An  Englishwoman 
in  America,"  says:  — 

*'  One  morning  I  found  Mrs.  Polk  reading.  '  I  have 
many  books  presented  to  me  by  the  writers,'  said  she,  '  and 
I  try  to  read  them  all :  at  present  that  is  impossible,  but 
this  evening  the  author  of  this  book  dines  with  the  Presi- 
dent, and  I  could  not  be  so  unkind  as  to  appear  wholly 
ignorant  and  unmindful  of  his  gift." 

Select  parties  were  frequently  invited  to  dine  at 
the  White  House.  On  one  occasion,  there  were 
twenty-five  or  thirty  literary  persons,  among  whom 
was  Mrs.  L.  H.  Sigourney.     Mrs.  Polk  remembered 


LIFE  AT   THE    WHITE  HOUSE.  Ill 

that  she  was  then  rather  stout,  and  had  the  appear- 
ance of  one  who  was  thinking,  with  a  straight- 
forward look  in  her  face.  Washington  is  so  much 
farther  south  than  her  home  in  Connecticut,  that 
she  spoke  of  it  as  a  Southern  city.  Mrs.  Alexander 
Hamilton  was  also  there,  and  according  to  the  cus- 
tom of  aged  ladies  of  that  day,  she  wore  a  white 
cap  with  a  crimped  ruffle  around  the  face,  and  white 
muslin  strings  tied  under  the  chin. 

An  elderly  lady,  who  had  been  present  at  this 
dinner-party,  called  on  Mrs.  Polk  a  day  or  two  after- 
ward, and  during  the  conversation  said,  '*  May  I  take 
the  liberty  accorded  to  ladies  of  my  age,  and  make 
a  suggestion  to  you,  Madame?  "  The  dining-table 
at  the  White  House  was  adorned  with  a  long  mirror 
laid  down  in  the  centre  of  the  table,  the  edges  of 
which  were  concealed  under  a  border  of  vines  with 
clustering  leaves  and  blooms,  and  upon  the  mirror 
were  placed  pyramidal  bouquets  of  flowers,  —  this 
arrangement,  called  the  plateau,  reflecting  the  light 
of  the  candelabra,  and  giving  an  attractive  brilliancy 
to  the  scene.  The  table  extended  about  a  foot 
beyond  the  plateau,  and  this  space  was  covered  with 
a  long  napkin,  which  upon  the  removal  of  the 
dishes  for  dessert  was  rolled  up  by  the  servants, 
and  formed  a  bulky  bundle  of  linen.  The  lady's 
suG^gestion  was  that  the  long  napkin  should  be  cut 


112  LIFE   AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE. 

into  short  pieces,  for  the  convenience  of  the  ser- 
vants. **  I  seldom  noticed  these  things,"  said  Mrs. 
Polk,  "and  did  not  know  when  the  napkin  was 
rolled  up  and  taken  off,  being  engaged  in  conversa- 
tion;  and  I  was  often  so  much  interested  in  the 
stream  of  discourse  that  the  steward  thought  I  ate 
too  little,  and  he  would  put  away  some  dish  he  knew 
I  liked,  hoping  I  might  enjoy  it  afterward."  She 
said  that  the  servants  knew  their  duties,  and  she  did 
not  undertake  the  needless  task  of  directing  them. 

Once  when  Col.  Thomas  H.  Benton  had  been 
invited  to  dinner,  and  6  o'clock,  the  appointed  hour, 
had  passed,  he  said,  **  Mrs.  Polk,  did  you  not  invite 
us  to  come  and  dine  at  a  certain  hour?  "  ''  Colonel 
Benton,"  was  the  reply,  "  have  you  not  lived  in 
Washington  long  enough  to  know  that  the  cooks  fix 
the  hour  for  dinner  ?  "  '*  Madame,"  he  replied,  "  you 
have  the  advantage  of  me." 

One  day,  when  Daniel  Webster  was  placed  beside 
Mrs.  Polk  at  dinner,  Mr.  Speight,  a  senator  from 
North  Carolina,  was  sitting  at  one  end  of  the  table. 
This  was  considered  an  inferior  position,  the  favo- 
rite seats  being  at  the  middle  of  the  table,  where 
the  President  sat  on  one  side  and  his  wife  opposite, 
the  places  on  either  side  of  them  being  filled  by 
guests  who  commanded  the  highest  respect.  Mr. 
Speight   had    requested   this   obscure  seat  that  he 


LIFE   AT  THE    WHITE   HOUSE.  I  13 

might  dine  quietly,  unhindered  by  company  or 
conversation.  Seeing  him  placed  there,  Mr.  Web- 
ster created  much  amusement  by  exclaiming,  "  Is 
he   not  a   respectable   gentleman?" 

A  pleasant  speech  made  to  the  mistress  of  the 
White  House  was  specially  ingenious.  In  the 
course  of  an  evening  reception,  when  the  rooms 
were  filled  with  guests,  there  fell  one  of  those 
sudden  silences  that  sometimes  occur  in  the  midst 
of  the  buzz  of  talk;  then  a  deep,  distinct  voice 
slowly  said,  "  Madame,  I  have  long  wished  to  see 
the  lady  upon  whom  the  Bible  pronounces  a  woe !  " 
The  remark  was  startling,  and  no  one  ventured  to 
make  a  reply.  Mrs.  Polk  looked  with  a  puzzled 
air  at  the  speaker,  when  he  continued,  "Does  not 
the  Bible  say,  '  Woe  unto  you  when  all  men  shall 
speak  well  of  you  '  ?  " 

The  company  was  considerably  relieved  at  this 
happy  turn  of  so  solemn  a  speech,  and  the  lady 
bowed  her  thanks  for  the  delicate  compliment. 

Mr.  Jenkins  has  preserved  in  his  pages  an  inci- 
dent which  occurred  during  a  visit  made  by  Henry 
Clay  to  Washington,  not  long  before  the  presidential 
election  in  1848,  when  he  dined  at  the  White  House, 
with  many  other  distinguished  men  on  both  sides 
in  politics. 

"  The  party  is  said  to  have  been  a  very  pleasant 
8 


114  LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE   HOUSE. 

affair;  good  feeling  abounded,  and  wit  and  lively 
repartee  gave  zest  to  the  occasion.  Mr.  Clay  was, 
of  course,  honored  with  a  seat  near  the  President's 
lady,  where  it  became  him  to  put  in  requisition 
those  insinuating  talents  which  he  possesses  in  so 
eminent  a  degree,  and  which  are  irresistible  even 
to  his  enemies.  Mrs.  Polk,  with  her  usual  frank 
and  affable  manner,  was  extremely  courteous  to  her 
distinguished  guest,  whose  good  opinion  she  did  not 
fail  to  win. 

"  '  Madame,'  said  Mr.  Clay,  in  that  bland  manner 
peculiar  to  himself,  '  I  must  say  that  in  my  travels, 
wherever  I  have  been,  in  all  companies,  and  among 
all  parties,  I  have  heard  but  one  opinion  of  you. 
All  agree  in  commending  in  the  highest  terms  your 
excellent  administration  of  the  domestic  affairs  of 
the  White  House.  But,'  continued  he,  directing 
her  attention  to  her  husband,  '  as  for  that  young 
gentleman  there,  I  cannot  say  as  much.  There  is,' 
said  he,  '  some  little  difference  of  opinion  in  regard 
to  the  policy  of  his  course.' 

"  '  Indeed,'  said  Mrs.  Polk,  *  I  am  glad  to  hear 
that  my  administration  is  popular.  And  in  return 
for  your  compliment,  I  will  say  that  if  the  country 
should  elect  a  Whig  next  fall,  I  know  of  no  one 
whose  elevation  would  please  me  more  than  that  of 
Henry  Clay.* 


LIFE   AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE.  II5 

'"■  Thank  you,  thank  you,  Madame.' 

"  *  And  I  will  assure  you  of  one  thing.  If  you  do 
have  occasion  to  occupy  the  White  House  on  the 
4th  of  March  next,  it  shall  be  surrendered  to  you 
in  perfect  order,  from  garret  to  cellar.' 

*''  I'm  certain  that  — ' 

"  But  the  laugh  that  followed  this  pleasant  repartee, 
which  lost  nothing  from  the  manner  nor  the  occa- 
sion of  it,  did  not  permit  the  guests  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  table  to  hear  the  rest  of  Mr.  Clay's  reply. 
Whether  he  was  *  certain  that  '  he  should  be  the 
tenant  of  the  President's  mansion,  or  whether  he 
only  said  that  he  was  'certain  that'  whoever  did 
occupy  it  would  find  it  in  good  condition,  like  the 
result  of  the  coming  contest  for  the  presidency, 
remained  a  mystery." 

Mr.  Polk's  health,  never  very  strong,  began  to 
fail  under  the  heavy  weight  of  his  cares  and  respon- 
sibilities. These  had  been  greatly  increased  by 
the  Mexican  war.  The  Hon.  Charles  J.  Ingersoll 
called  to  tell  Mrs.  Polk  that  her  husband  was 
wearing  himself  out  with  constant  and  excessive 
application;  that  if  he  did  not  take  some  recrea- 
tion, he  would  die  soon  after  the  close  of  his  term ; 
that  she  must  insist  upon  his  driving  out  morning 
and  evening;  that  she  must  order  her  carriage 
and    make    him    go   with    her.     "  I    did    so,"    she 


Il6  LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE. 

said,  "  and  the  carriage  waited  and  waited,  until  it 
was  too  late.  It  would  have  been  obliged  to  wait 
all  day,  for  somebody  was  always  in  the  office,  and 
Mr.  Polk  would  not,  or  could  not,  come.  I  sel- 
dom succeeded  in  getting  him  to  drive  with  me," 
she  added  sadly. 

In  May,  1848,  the  Mexican  war  was  brought  to  a 
triumphant  close.  In  the  summer  the  President 
visited  one  or  two  watering  places  in  Pennsylvania 
and  Virginia,  and  the  annexed  letters  were  written 
at  this  time  by  his  wife,  who  was  detained  by  the 
presence  of  guests  in  the  White  House:  — 

'•  Dear  Husband  :  —  I  do  hope  when  you  re- 
ceive this  note  you  will  not  say  to  yourself  that 
your  wife  is  as  annoying  as  the  office-seekers,  per- 
secuting you  wherever  you  go  by  compelling  you 
to  open  and  read  a  httle  budget  of  nonsense  of  my 
own  sad  complaints  that  I  am  separated  from 
you.  Yesterday,  not  being  very  well,  I  kept  my 
room  and  felt  disconsolate ;  everything  bore  the 
appearance  of  universal  quietness.  The  doorbell 
rang  only  a  few  times.  I  beg  that  you  will  stay 
long  enough  at  Bedford  to  renovate  your  health. 
Grieved  as  I  may  be  at  your  absence  (don't  think  I 
am  jesting),  I  do  not  wish  you  to  leave  there  before 
Monday  week ;  a  shorter  time  cannot  benefit  you. 
How  often  do  you  intend  to  write  me?" 


^^^ft 


.-^ 


The  annexed  fac-shnile  of  a  letter  of  Mrs.  Polk  was  7vritten  to 
her  husband  in  August,  1848.  //  ivas  enclosed  in  a  small  envelope, 
and  then  re-enclosed  in  a  larger  one.  On  the  end  of  the  latter  is  the 
president's  endorsement  of  the  date  of  its  receipt. 


2   ^'^ 


cr^    /X--^^_ 


>fc— >-c y<y 


LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE.  WJ 

Two  days  afterward  she  wrote  as  follows :  — 

"  I  am  this  morning  distressed  on  your  account 
at  the  change  in  the  weather,  fearing  that  you  will 
be  discouraged  and  return  home  without  benefit  to 
yourself.  I  hope  that  you  will  not  get  sick,  and 
know  that  you  will  keep  a  large  fire,  and  wish  that 
you  may  be  able  to  stay  as  long  as  you  intended 
when  you  left.  There  is  nothing  to  call  your  atten- 
tion back  here  so  soon.  I  saw  Mr.  Buchanan  last 
evening;  he  was  full  of  the  foreign  news,  but  I 
learned  nothing  very  specific.  I  did  not  go  to 
church  on  yesterday.  I  coughed  so  much  I  was 
afraid  of  disturbing  the  congregation.  I  would  be 
very  happy  to  be  with  you  to-day  at  Bedford.  The 
visit  of  our  family  circle  to  Mt.  Vernon  has  passed 
off  very  well.  The  trip  to  New  York  and  Tennes- 
see is  still  on  the  tapis,  and  when  they  will  be  ac- 
complished is  more  than  I  can  tell.  I  heard  from 
you  verbally  on  yesterday  morning.  I  fear  that 
you  will  be  so  taken  up  with  the  Democracy  of 
Pennsylvania  that  you  will  not  find  time  to  write 
me.  If  it  rains  to-morrow  as  it  does  to-day  I  will 
look  for  you  back  on  Wednesday.  Not  that  I  think 
you  ought  to  come,  but  knowing  you  as  well  as  I 
do,  I  fear  that  you  will.  I  beg  you  to  be  patient 
and  wait  for  sunshine." 


Il8  LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE. 

During  this  summer  the  portraits  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Polk  were  painted  by  Healy.  In  the  year 
1847  or  1848  Daguerre's  sun  pictures  were  intro- 
duced in  the  United  States,  and  the  President  and 
his  wife  sat  for  one  of  the  new  artists,  who  came  to 
the  White  House  to  sohcit  their  patronage. 

In  the  last  winter  of  this  administration  gas  was 
brought  into  the  Presidential  mansion.  It  was  in 
use  in  public  buildings,  but  had  not  then  taken  the 
place  of  oil-lamps  in  private  houses.  The  work  ot 
putting  in  the  pipes  and  adjusting  the  fixtures  was 
troublesome  and  tedious.  Against  the  remon- 
strances of  several  friends,  Mrs.  Polk  insisted  that 
the  reception-room  should  remain  as  it  was,  with 
its  elegant  chandelier  for  the  use  of  w^ax  candles. 
It  had  become  known  that  at  the  next  entertain- 
ment the  Executive  mansion  would  be  lighted  with 
gas.  When  the  evening  arrived,  and  the  house  was 
thronged  with  guests,  lo,  the  brilliant  jets  suddenly 
vanished,  and  the  company  was  left  in  darkness. 
One  room,  however,  was  still  lustrous  with  many 
points  of  light,  —  the  reception-room,  where  the 
wax  candles  were  shedding  their  soft  radiance. 
There  were  numerous  lively  exclamations  of  pleas- 
ure at  what  was  called  *'  Mrs.  Polk's  sagacity," 
which  in  this  instance  seemed  to  be  a  kind  of 
foresight. 


MRS.    POLK. 

Copy  of  Nealfs  portrait,  pa infed  In  1848. 


LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE.  II9 

As  his  presidential  term  neared  its  close  Mr. 
Polk's  thoughts  turned  with  longing  to  the  old 
home  in  Columbia.  The  following  letter  was 
written  in  the  last  month  of  his  administration : 

"Dear  Mother:  — It  has  been  more  than  four 
years  since  I  left  Tennessee.  They  have  been 
years  of  unceasing  labor  and  anxiety,  and  of  high 
public  responsibility.  I  am  heartily  rejoiced  that 
my  presidential  term  is  so  near  its  close.  I  am  sure 
that  I  will  enjoy  the  quiet  of  retirement,  and  the 
rest  which  I  so  much  need.  I  expect  to  leave 
Washington  for  Tennessee  on  the  6th  of  jNIarch, 
taking  the  southern  route,  by  the  way  of  Charles- 
ton and  New  Orleans,  and  will  probably  reach 
Nashville  about  the  25th  of  March.  We  will 
make  a  short  stop  at  Nashville,  and  proceed  at 
once  to  Columbia,  when  I  hope  to  find  you  in 
the  enjoyment  of  good  health.  My  own  health 
and  that  of  my  household  continue  to  be  good. 
I  write  simply  to  apprise  you  of  my  movements 
at  the  close  of  my  term." 

The  same  day  the  appended  acrostic  was  written 
by  ''  W.  S.  T.,"  of  Millersburg,  Ohio : — 

"Joined  to  no  idol  save  the  cause  of  man, 
All  critic  foes  in  vain  thy  deeds  shall  scan. 
Mid  storms  and  clamor  and  the  scowls  of  war, 
Eternal  Right  hath  been  thy  polar  star. 


I20  LIFE   AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE. 

Sacred  and  just,  thy  principles  sublime, 

Known  and  belov'd,  shall  spread  through  every  clime. 

Preserved  by  valor  from  the  spoiler's  hand, 

Our  flag  still  waves  o'er  freedom's  happy  land. 

Let  envy  sneer,  let  calumny  decry. 

Known  to  the  just,  thy  fame  shall  never  die." 

In  the  **  Ladies'  National  Magazine  "  for  March, 
1849,  appeared  a  tribute  to  Mrs.  Polk,  by  Mrs. 
Ann  S.  Stephens,  who  was  then  in  high  literary 
fame.  It  was  widely  copied  by  the  newspapers, 
and  read  by  many  thousands.  We  copy  only  the 
third  stanza :  — 

"There,  standing  in  our  nation's  home, 

j\Iy  memory  ever  pictures  thee. 
As  some  bright  dame  of  ancient  Rome, 

Modest,  yet  all  a  queen  should  be. 
I  love  to  keep  thee  in  my  mind. 

Thus  mated  with  the  pure  of  old. 
When  love,  with  lofty  deeds  combined, 

Made  women  great  and  warriors  bold." 

A  correspondent  of  the  ''  New  York  Journal  of 
Commerce  "  gave  a  description  of  the  last  recep- 
tion of  the  President  and  his  wife,  which  occurred 
on  the  28th  of  February:  — 

"  Although  w^e  were  old  fashioned  enough  to  go  at  half- 
past  eight  o'clock,  we  found  a  large  concourse  of  the  sov- 
ereign people  already  assembled.  After  exchanging  a  word 
or  two  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  we  j-jassed  on  into  the 
well  known  East  Room.  The  rooms  were  lighted  up  most 
beautifully.  About  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  doors 
of  the  Presidential  mansion  were  closed.     It  is  estimated 


LIFE   AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE.  I2I 

that  more  than  five  thousand  people  paid  their  respects  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  in  the  course  of  the  night.  The 
greater  part  of  them  were  strangers  who  had  come  to 
Washington  to  witness  the  inauguration.  There  were 
almost  no  members  of  either  the  Senate  or  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, as  both  those  bodies  were  in  session  that  night. 
Several,  if  not  all,  of  the  members  of  the  Cabinet  were 
present.  I  was  struck  with  the  very  venerable  and  patri- 
archal aspect  of  Mr.  Cave  Johnson,  the  Postmaster-General. 
Mr,  Buchanan  looks  very  considerably  older  than  he  did 
four  years  ago.  He  informed  us  that  he  is  going  to  return 
to  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  his  native  place,  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  his  life  there.  They  say  he  has  a  '  Sabine 
farm  '  in  the  vicinity  of  that  ancient  but  small  German  city. 
Mr.  Polk  appeared  very  well.  Mrs.  Polk  appeared,  as  she 
always  does,  a  charming  woman,  who  has  won  the  profound 
respect  of  all  hearts.  Mr.  Polk's  administration  has  been 
a  most  eventful  one.  During  his  term  the  annexation  of 
Texas  was  consummated,  the  vexed  question  of  the  north- 
ern boundary  of  Oregon  was  settled,  and  the  large  provinces 
of  New  Mexico  and  California  were  added  to  the  United 
States  as  the  result  of  a  war  that  might  possibly  have  been 
postponed  a  few  months  or  years,  but  which  was  in  my 
humble  opinion  inevitable." 

The  last  State  dinner  took  place  on  Thursday, 
the  1st  of  March,  and  was  given  in  honor  of  the 
President-elect,  Gen.  Zachary  Taylor,  and  the  Vice- 
President-elect,  Mr.  Millard  P'illmore. 

A  writer  in  the  *'  Washington  Union  "  contributed 
an  eloquent  valedictory  to  the  lady  whose  sojourn 
in  the  capital  city  was  so  near  its  close :  — 


122  LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE. 

A   FAREWELL  TO   MRS.    POLK. 

Lady,  farewell  !     Amid  the  gloom  of  grief, 

How  many  a  heart  will  utter  that  sad  sound. 

Farewell!   For  thee  a  thousand  hearts  will  mourn, — 

So  much  of  friendship  lost,  of  sorrow  found. 

And  thou  wilt  leave  a  void  in  friendship's  hall. 

Where  joyous  notes  were  once  so  wont  to  rise, 

Like  that  fair  pleiad  which  forsook  its  home, 

And  caused  to  mourn  the  sisters  of  the  skies. 

But  thou  must  go;  yet  with  thee  thou  shalt  bear 

A  stranger's  hope  upon  the  distant  way, 

And  only  fade  to  give  a  calmer  day. 

A  welcome,  too,  I  'd  give  thee  to  my  home, 

My  sunny  home,  the  old  Palmetto  soil, 

Where  many  a  heart,  all  warm  and  true  and  kind, 

Shall  chase  away  the  gloom  of  travel's  toil. 

And  may  life  pass  as  soft  as  sunset  hour, 

When  gentle  rays  gleam  on  the  skies  above, 

And  may  each  pulse  in  sweetest  union  beat, 

To  the  soft  music  of  the  harp  of  love. 

The  3d  of  March  fell  on  Saturday.  After  receiv- 
ing throngs  of  visitors  during  the  day  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Polk  withdrew  to  a  hotel  at  six  o'clock,  there  to 
remain  until  after  General  Taylor's  inauguration  on 
the  following  Monday,  when  they  would  begin  their 
journey  homeward.  They  were  escorted  to  the 
hotel  by  the  members  of  the  Cabinet  and  their 
families. 

The  next  day^  they  were  at  church  in  their  accus- 
tomed seats.  The  pastor,  Mr.  Ballentine,  addressed 
them  in  a  touching  little  farewell  speech ;   and  when 


LIFE  AT  THE    WHITE  HOUSE.  1 23 

the  services  were  over,  instead  of  dispersing  as 
usual,  the  congregation  stood  still,  seemingly  spell- 
bound by  the  universal  desire  to  see  the  President 
and  his  wife.  They  were  the  only  persons  who 
stepped  from  their  places,  and  as  they  moved  down 
the  aisle,  greeting  one  friend  and  another  as  they 
passed,  the  congregation  closed  in  behind  them, 
thus  paying  a  silent  homage  of  sincere  respect. 

This  Sabbath  was  the  4th  of  March,  and  there 
was  much  comment  made  upon  the  occurrence ; 
some  persons  supposing  that  on  that  day  there  was 
no  President,  Mr.  Polk  having  withdrawn  the  even- 
ing before,  and  General  Taylor  being  obliged  to 
wait  until  Monday  to  be  inaugurated.  It  seemed  to 
be  a  sort  of  interregnum.  It  is  the  law,  however, 
that  every  officer's  term  shall  continue  until  the 
installation  of  his  successor,  and  therefore  Mr.  Polk 
was  the  President  until  General  Taylor  took  the 
oath  of  office. 

On  Monday,  according  to  custom,  the  out-going 
President  rode  to  the  Capitol  in  the  carriage  with 
his  successor,  to  take  a  part  in  the  solemnities  of  the 
inauguration.  Seated  beside  them  were  the  Hon. 
Robert  C.  Winthrop,  ex-Speaker  of  the  House,  and 
Mr.  Seaton,  mayor  of  Washington.  Mrs.  Polk  wit- 
nessed the  impressive  rites  which,  four  years  before, 
had  been  so  closely  connected  with  her  own  life. 


DEPARTURE    FROM   WASHINGTON 
TO    TENNESSEE. 


A 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

1849. 

T  nine  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  of 
March,  1849,  escorted  from  the  hotel  to  the 
steamer  by  the  members  of  his  own  cabinet  and 
their  families,  and  also  by  many  others,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Polk  took  passage  on  the  steamer  **  Balti- 
more," for  Richmond.  They  were  accompanied  by 
their  young  nieces.  Miss  Hays  and  Miss  Rucker, 
by  the  Hon.  Robert  J.  Walker,  ex-Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  Major  Daniel  Graham  and  wife,  of  Nash- 
ville, and  other  personal  friends.  Mr.  Polk  had 
accepted  the  invitations  of  the  Southern  cities,  and 
was  going  homeward  by  that  route.  The  journey 
was  marked  by  receptions,  by  military  displays, 
decorations  and  illuminations,  and  other  manifesta- 
tions of  respect  and  honor.  That  these  ovations 
were  prompted  by  pure  esteem  Is  plain  from  the 
fact  that  Mr.  Polk  was  retiring  from  power  and 
had  no  favors  to  bestow.  Universal  approbation 
had    been    freely  expressed    for   the  womanly  and 


128        FROM   WASHINGTON   TO    TENNESSEE. 

sensible  course  of  his  wife  in  the  most  conspic- 
uous home  in  the  United  States,  and  this  feehng 
doubtless  had  a  share  in  the  sentiment  impcUing 
these  tributes  of  respect. 

The  travellers  took  the  railway  at  Acquia  Creek. 
At  Fredericksburg  and  other  points  on  the  road, 
the  people  were  assembled  in  crowds  to  greet 
them.  At  the  Junction  the  ex-President  was  met 
by  a  committee  of  invitation,  who  accompanied 
him  to  Richmond.  Here  the  streets  and  windows 
were  filled  with  spectators,  and  handkerchiefs  were 
waving  in  every  direction.  The  booming  of  cannon, 
and  the  brilliant  military  display  created  a  scene 
of  the  most  exciting  character.  A  committee  of 
the  legislature  conducted  Mr.  Polk  to  the  hall 
of  the  House  of  Delegates,  where  the  Senate,  the 
House,  with  Governor  Floyd  and  Council,  and  a 
large  number  of  citizens  had  assembled.  Mr. 
Speaker  Hopkins  addressed  Mr.  Polk  in  a  speech 
from  which   the  following  passage  is  quoted  :  — 

"  I  may  say  that,  previous  to  your  administra- 
tion, the  setting  sun  of  heaven  never  cast  his 
last  evening  rays  upon  the  confines  of  our  glorious 
Union.  But  now,  sir,  and  forever,  that  brilliant 
orb  of  light,  when  he  emerges  from  the  billows 
of  the  Atlantic,  darts  his  first  morning  rays  upon 
the  sandy  beach  of  our  eastern  sea-shore,  and  after 


FROM   WASHINGTON   TO    TENNESSEE.         1 29 

performing  his  daily  round  through  the  heavens, 
when  he  dips  his  broad  disk  into  the  placid  bosom 
of  the  calm  Pacific,  his  last  lingering  beams  still 
play  upon  United  States  soil  in  the  glittering  gold- 
dust  of  California." 

Mr.  Polk,  in  reply,  spoke  of  the  great  honor 
done  him  in  so  enthusiastic  a  reception.  One  of 
his  remarks  was  that  he  was  no  longer  a  servant 
of  the  people,  but  had  become  now,  since  Mon- 
day last,  a  sovereign. 

Mrs.  Polk,  with  the  other  ladies  of  the  party, 
had  been  taken  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  James  A. 
Seddon,  and  during  the  few  hours  of  their  stay 
in  Richmond  they  received  many  visitors,  and  were 
well  entertained. 

At  Petersburg,  where  they  dined,  and  at  Weldon, 
where  Whitfield's  Hotel  and  other  buildings  were 
illuminated  in  their  honor,  they  were  greeted  with 
great  cordiality.  When  they  reached  Wilmington, 
on  Wednesday  morning,  the  bells  were  rung,  and  a 
large  procession,  led  by  the  military  wnth  stirring 
music,  conducted  them  to  Swann's  Hotel.  During 
the  day  Mrs.  Polk  received  many  callers.  Among 
the  crowds  who  flocked  to  see  Mr.  Polk  at  the 
Masonic  Hall,  was  the  committee  sent  from 
Charleston  to  welcome  him  in  advance  to  that 
city.     At   ten   o'clock  Thursday  morning  they  left 

9 


130        FROM   WASHINGTON   TO    TENNESSEE. 

Wilmington  on  the  steamer  "  Governor  Dudley," 
to  the  manifest  regret  of  the  assembled  multitude, 
and  were  followed  by  the  parting  salutes  of  the 
artillery.  On  the  way,  the  boat  stopped  for  two 
hours  at  Smithville.  At  this  place  stood  an  old 
block-house  of  the  Revolution,  identified  with  the 
first  assertion  of  Independence;  and  here  many 
pressed  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  out-going 
President. 

Friday  morning  they  landed  at  Gadsden's 
Wharf,  Charleston.  Mrs.  Polk  and  the  ladies  of  her 
company  were  conducted  by  a  special  committee 
to  apartments  prepared  for  them  in  the  Carolina 
Hotel.  Mr.  W.  H.  Conner  offered  to  the  party 
the  hospitalities  of  the  city.  He  was  appropri- 
ately chosen  for  this  pleasant  duty,  having  been  a 
fellow-student  at  Chapel  Hill  with  their  honored 
visitor,  and  a  native  of  the  same  county  in  North 
Carolina.  In  the  streets  there  were  triumphal 
arches;  private  houses  were  decorated,  while  the 
windows  and  balconies  were  white  with  fluttering 
handkerchiefs.  The  dense  masses  of  people  in 
the  streets  raised  their  hats,  as  one  man,  in  honor 
of  the  city's  guest.  After  a  cordial  welcome  from 
the  mayor  and  hundreds  of  citizens,  the  ex- 
President  and  his  party  were  introduced  to  Gov- 
ernor   Seabrook,    and    to    the    general,    field,   and 


FROM   WASHING  TOX   TO    TENNESSEE.         131 

Staff  officers  of  the  militia.  At  four  o'clock  they 
dined  at  St.  Andrew's  Hall  with  the  city  authorities 
and  many  citizens.  Over  the  entrance  to  the  hall 
a  temporary  stand  for  the  orchestra  had  been 
erected,  supported  by  palmetto  pilasters,  along  the 
front  of  which  were  painted  on  white  cloth  the 
arms  of  North  Carolina  and  of  Tennessee.  In 
the  centre,  on  blue  silk,  in  gold  letters,  were  the 
words,  ''Territories  of  New  Mexico  and  Cali- 
fornia." Every  window  was  curtained  with  the 
national  flag,  except  one,  where  hung  the  flag  of 
the  State.  The  window  facing  the  entrance  was 
surmounted  with  the  great  seal  of  the  United 
States. 

Early  the  following  morning  the  presidential 
party  embarked  for  Savannah.  A  beautiful  can- 
opy had  been  built  on  the  wharf,  under  which  they 
passed  to  the  boat.  Two  pillars,  fifteen  feet  high, 
were  made  of  square  bales  of  Carolina  upland  cot- 
ton, resting  upon  bases  of  large  Georgia  bales,  each 
pillar  faced  with  a  bale  of  Carolina  Sea  Island  cot- 
ton. A  barrel  of  rice  capped  each  pillar.  These 
were  connected  by  a  beam  of  Carolina  pine,  covered 
with  American  ensigns  In  graceful  festoons,  and  sup- 
porting this  Inscription  :  *'  The  Old  Palmetto  State 
bids  thee  farewell."  The  whole  was  entwined  with 
branches  of  arbor-vltae,  laurel,  cedar,  and  palmetto. 


132         FROM   WASHINGTON   TO    TENNESSEE. 

It  was  the  law  at  that  time  in  South  CaroHna  that 
if  the  Governor  should  go  beyond  the  State  lines 
he  would  cease  to  be  the  Governor.  The  original 
plan  of  the  party  had  been  to  visit  the  coast  towns 
of  South  Carolina,  and  Governor  Scabrook  em- 
barked with  them ;  but,  unknown  to  him,  it  had 
been  arranged  to  go  directly  to  Savannah.  When 
the  governor  learned  this  fact  he  left  the  steamer  at 
Beaufort. 

About  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  vessel  was 
seen  from  the  bluffs  of  Savannah,  and  her  signal 
rockets  and  many  lights  proclaimed  the  presence 
of  the  distinguished  travellers.  The  guns  of  the 
Chatham  Light  Artillery,  Captain  Gallic,  saluted 
them  as  the  steamer  approached,  and  spoke  in 
loud  tones  a  Georgia  welcome.  The  "  Savannah 
Georgian  "  of  March   12,    1849,  says:  — 

"  This  veteran  corps  had  the  pleasing  duty  of  welcoming 
with  similar  tones  from  their  well-plied  pieces,  the  illus- 
trious Washington,  when  President,  to  our  city  and  State, 
and  of  receiving  the  encomiums  of  the  Father  of  his  coun- 
try, with  the  gift  of  two  cannon,  captured  at  Yorktown." 

When  the  boat  reached  the  wharf  the  mayor  and 
many  citizens  came  on  board  and  were  introduced; 
after  which  the  distinguished  guests  were  escorted 
by  a  large  body  of  the  military  to  the  Pulaski  House. 
One  who    saw  it  all  wrote :    '*  As   the    procession 


FROM   WASHINGTON   TO    TENNESSEE.         1 33 

moved  to  the  hotel,  the  mellow  beams  of  the  full 
moon  spread  over  the  face  of  the  scene,  exhibiting 
to  the  beholder  the  streets  thronged  with  people, 
and  the  windows  and  balconies  a  perfect  galaxy  of 
the  pride  and  beauty  of  Georgia."  Subsequently 
the  ex-President  received  the  visits  of  the  citizens 
at  the  Armory  Hall. 

The  next  day  being  Sunday,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk 
went  to  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Preston  was  pastor.  When 
they  were  seated,  hymn-books  were  passed  to  them 
by  various  persons,  and  with  every  book  was  a  little 
bouquet  of  roses,  or  violets,  or  some  other  fragrant 
flower.  '*  We  took  the  bouquets,"  Airs.  Polk  said, 
''  appreciating  the  delicately  offered  compliment, 
but  returned  the  books,  for  we  could  use  but  one." 

Early  on  Monday  morning,  accompanied  to  the 
depot  by  troops  and  music,  and  a  host  of  citizens, 
the  party  took  the  train  for  Macon.  Reaching  that 
city  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  "  they  were  re- 
ceived," says  the  **  Georgia  Telegraph,"  "  with  every 
demonstration  of  respect  by  the  crowd  who  filled 
the  sidewalks  and  windows,  from  which  many  a 
snowy  scarf  fluttered  to  the  evening  breeze."  Tues- 
day morning,  the  ex-President  was  welcomed  by  the 
Hon.  A.  H.  Chappell,  and  Mr.  Polk  spoke  in  reply 
from  an  upper  porch  of  the  Floyd  House.     Though 


134        FROM   WASHINGTON   TO    TENNESSEE. 

the  day  was  warm  many  ladies  were  present,  and 
the  attention  of  all  was  so  absorbed  that  there  was 
scarcely  a  movement  of  the  umbrellas.  Mrs.  Polk 
was  with  a  group  of  ladies  in  the  parlor  below,  with- 
in sound  of  her  husband's  voice.  She  said  that  "  the 
speech  was  beautifully  delivered,  as  all  his  speeches 
were,  his  manner  quiet,  calm,  and  dignified,  and 
his  voice  soft  and  melodious,  and  at  the  same  time 
clear  and  commanding."  She  thought  that  his 
talents  were  undervalued,  simply  because  he  was 
the  opponent  of  so  celebrated  a  statesman  as  Henry 
Clay.  The  next  morning  at  six  o'clock,  amid  the 
roar  of  cannon,  and  the  farewell  greeting  of  hundreds 
who  had  assembled  at  that  early  hour,  the  party  left 
by  the  Macon  and  Western  cars. 

At  Forsyth  and  Barnesville  and  Thomaston  and 
many  other  places,  the  people  seemed  anxious  to  do 
honor  to  those  who  had  honored  their  country  by 
noble  conduct  in  high  position.  At  Columbus  they 
were  entertained  at  the  home  of  Judge  Colquitt,  the 
father  of  Governor  Colquitt;  and  at  Montgomery, 
Alabama,  they  were  greeted  with  many  signs  of  joy- 
ous welcome.  From  the  latter  city  they  took  pas- 
sage in  the  steamer  "  Emperor  "  for  Mobile.  Here 
the  demonstration  was  novel  and  unique.  As  the 
steamer  approached,  the  boat  carr3nng  the  commit- 
tee of  reception  came  alongside  and  was  lashed  fast. 


FROM   WASIIINGTOX  TO    TENNESSEE.         I35 

The  committee  then  boarded  the  steamer,  accom- 
panied by  a  band  of  musicians,  and  two  Nashville 
ladies,  Mrs.  Mason  and  Mrs.  Ledyard,  the  only  per- 
sons permitted  that  privilege,  the  number  already 
on  board  being  so  great.  Then  the  steamers  on 
the  bay,  gayly  decorated,  drew  near  on  either  side, 
forming  a  semi-circle  in  front  of  the  city.  The 
mayor  stood  on  shore,  on  a  pile  of  cotton  bales 
as  high  as  a  two-story  house,  and  addressed  the 
late  President  in  a  glowing  speech  of  welcome, 
to  which  Mr.  Polk  replied  from  the  deck  of  the 
steamer.  It  was  a  striking  scene,  and  those  who 
saw  it  can  never  forget  the  impression  made  by 
the  lovely  bay  reflecting  the  tints  of  the  bright 
sky,  the  fluttering  pennons,  the  decorations  of  the 
steamers,  and  the  rich  music  enveloping  the  whole 
like  a  delicious  atmosphere. 

Mr.  Polk  was  much  weakened  by  the  fatigue  and 
excitement  of  this  triumphal  progress.  The  sudden 
change  of  climate  in  the  early  spring-time  had  also 
reduced  his  strength.  He  had  long  been  suffering 
from  impaired  health,  and  a  predisposition  of  late 
years  to  severe  attacks  of  illness  made  it  impera- 
tive that  he  should  hasten  homeward.  The  dreaded 
cholera  had  made  its  appearance  in  many  places, 
north  and  south,  and  there  had  already  been  several 
cases  in  New  Orleans.     Extensive  preparations  for 


136        FROM   WASHINGTON   TO    TENNESSEE. 

a  reception  had  been  made  in  this  queen  city  of 
Louisiana.  He  acknowledged  the  kindness  of  the 
people  by  taking  part  in  a  pubhc  dinner,  from 
which,  however,  he  withdrew  early,  in  compliance 
with  the  wish  and  entreaty  of  his  wife.  The  phy- 
sician had  said  to  her,  "  You  can  insist  on  leaving 
immediately,  but  your  husband  cannot  do  so  with- 
out seeming  to  undervalue  the  honors  the  city  has 
been  arranging  for  him." 

The  trip  thus  far  had  been  without  expense  to 
the  ex-President,  but  now  Mrs.  Polk  earnestly  de- 
sired to  bear  all  their  own  expenses,  that  they  might 
be  free  to  leave  at  once.  The  committee  advised 
her,  however,  that  a  steamer  would  convey  Mr. 
Polk  and  herself  and  friends  to  Nashville  with- 
out charge;  "but,  Madame,"  they  said,  "it  is  not 
yet  ready ;  but  will  be  on  the  day  appointed 
for  your  departure."  While  profoundly  grateful 
for  this  attention,  the  feeling  that  her  husband's 
life  was  at  stake  adn^iitted  of  no  delay;  and  they 
accordingly  at  once  embarked.  The  original  plan 
was  to  stop  at  Natchez,  but  Mr.  Polk  had  been 
taken  ill  on  the  boat,  and  it  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  hasten  homeward.  A  correspondent  wrote : 
**  Much  to  the  disappointment  of  the  people  of 
Natchez,  the  loud  report  of  the  brass  field-piece 
mounted   on   the    bluff  overlooking   the   river,   had 


FROM   WASHINGTON  TO    TENNESSEE.         1 37 

scarcely  apprised  the  neighborhood  of  the  near 
approach  of  the  steamer,  ere  a  gun  from  the 
'  Watkins' '  deck  announced  her  arrival  and  de- 
parture, and  she  continued  to  stem  the  mighty 
current  of  the  Mississippi  on  her  way  to  Nashville." 

The  illness  of  Mr.  Polk  detained  the  party  at 
Smithland,  and  they  did  not  reach  Nashville  until 
several  days  after  the  appointed  time. 

The  "  Nashville  Union  "  of  April  3  said  :  — 

"The  reception  of  Mr.  Polk  yesterday,  although  en- 
tirely spontaneous,  was  one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  we 
hav^e  ever  witnessed.  He  was  expected  last  Friday,  and 
arrangements  for  his  reception  were  interrupted  by  news 
of  his  sickness  at  Smithland.  The  most  intense  anxiety 
for  his  health  has  pervaded  the  city,  which  was  relieved 
by  the  intelligence  yesterday  morning  that  he  would  be 
in  Nashville  Monday  morning.  By  eleven  o'clock  the 
steamboat  landing  was  crowded.  The  steamer  '  Countess  ' 
arrived  at  our  wharf  about  twelve  o'clock,  and  Mr.  Polk  was 
escorted  by  the  multitude  to  the  Court  House  Square, 
where  he  was  addressed  by  Gov.  Neill  S.  Brown,  in  an 
eloquent  speech.  The  feebleness  of  the  late  President  was 
apparent,  and  it  was  scarcely  expected  that  he  would  do 
more  than  make  an  acknowledgment  of  the  reception. 
But  he  seemed  to  be  inspired  from  the  moment  the  first 
word  fell  from  his  lips,  to  forget  his  feebleness,  and  to  re- 
new his  ancient  energy,  as  he  '  felt  his  foot  upon  his  native 
heath.'  His  speech  was  touching,  and  he  referred  in  elo- 
quent terms  to  the  happiness  of  reaching  home.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  ceremonies  Mr.  Polk  was  escorted  to  the 


138         FROM   WASHING TOX   TO    TENNESSEE. 

Verandah,  where  he  and  his  wife  were  visited  by  a  large 
number  of  citizens." 

They  remained  a  day  or  two  at  this  new  hos- 
telry, now  called  the  Commercial  Hotel. 

Their  first  duty  and  pleasure  was  to  visit  the  two 
loving  and  proud  mothers,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Whitsitt 
Childress  at  Murfreesborough,  and  Mrs.  Jane  Knox 
Polk  at  Columbia.  They  were  received  at  Mur- 
freesborough with  every  mark  of  esteem,  and  the 
people  remembered  that  it  was  in  their  town  that 
Mr.  Polk  had  begun  a  public  career  in  which  he 
had  achieved  so  much  for  his  fellow-countrymen, 
and  distinction  for  himself.  At  Columbia  he  was 
greeted  by  the  citizens  of  Maury,  Marshall,  Giles, 
and  Lewis  counties,  who  met  him  with  music  and 
waving  banners.  General  Pillow  made  the  address 
of  welcome.  At  the  residence  of  his  mother  he 
was  met  and  congratulated  by  hundreds,  of  both 
political  parties. 

When  they  returned  to  Nashville,  their  new  home 
was  ready,  and  the  parlors  were  thrown  open  to 
receive  old  and  new  friends.  In  such  pleasant 
presence  and  with  unbounded  expressions  of  good 
wishes,  the  ex-President  and  his  wife  took  up  their 
abode  at  Polk  Place. 


THE    NASHVILLE    HOME. 


E  X-  P  R I-:  S 1 1 )  K  N  T    I '  O  L  K . 


p 


CHAPTER   IX. 

I 849-1 850. 
OLK  PLACE  was  a  large  and  substantial  build- 


^  ing.  A  part  of  the  grounds  in  front  of  the 
south  entrance  was  enclosed  in  a  tall  iron  fence 
with  heavy  folding  gates,  while  the  portion  leading 
to  Church  Street  was  given  to  the  city  as  a  thorough- 
fare, and  is  known  as  Polk  Avenue.  The  carriage- 
drive  sweeps  round  either  side  of  the  pavement, 
from  the  gates  to  the  house,  in  a  green  lawn  for- 
merly dotted  with  trees.  Only  a  few  of  these  now 
remain.  Most  of  them  were  short-lived,  and  were 
blown  down  by  storms,  or  worn  out  by  time.  Pass- 
ing up  three  or  four  stone  steps  and  across  a  small 
open  vestibule,  one  is  ushered  through  a  lofty  door- 
way into  a  spacious,  airy  hall,  opening  into  parlors 
to  the  right  and  left.  From  this  large  hall,  a  smaller 
one  on  the  north  side  leads  to  the  dining-room  and 
other  apartments.  Another  passage  leads  to  the 
east  entrance  with  a  wide  portico,  supported  by 
fluted    columns.     The    grounds    on  this  side  slope 


142  THE   NASHVILLE   HOME. 

gradually  to  Vine  Street,  where  the  iron  gate  is 
formed  of  a  massive  anchor,  surmounted  by  the 
American  Eagle.  In  the  centre  of  the  large  hall 
was  a  circular  table  covered  with  a  slab  of  Egyptian 
marble  about  three  feet  in  diameter,  inlaid  with  a 
mosaic  of  colored  marbles,  representing  the  Ameri- 
can Eagle  bearing  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  United 
States;  while  in  the  margin  were  thirty  white  stars, 
the  number  of  States  then  composing  the  Union. 
This  slab  had  been  presented  by  a  friend  in  Tunis, 
and  arrived  soon  after  Mr.  Polk  reached  Nashville. 
The  frame  of  the  table  was  of  dark  wood,  and  was 
made  in  Tennessee. 

The  appointments  of  the  various  rooms  were 
tasteful  and  substantial.  But  the  rich  carpets,  the 
damask  curtains,  and  red  velvet  ottomans,  sofas, 
and  easy  chairs,  and  other  furniture,  were  not  so 
attractive  as  the  numerous  pictures.  Opposite  the 
entrance  to  the  large  hall,  was  an  engraving  of  the 
Senate  Chamber  as  it  was  early  in  the  forties,  in 
which  the  familiar  faces  of  Clay,  Calhoun,  Webster, 
and  other  notable  men  of  that  time,  are  depicted. 
In  the  gallery  appears  Mrs.  Madison  among  the 
visitors.  Mrs.  Polk,  who  was  not  then  in  Washing- 
ton, was  also  seated  in  the  gallery,  without  a  bonnet, 
—  a  piece  of  absurdity  at  which  she  seemed  much 
amused.     The  most  interesting  picture  in  this  hall 


HERNANDO    CORTEZ. 


THE   NASHVILLE  HOME.  143 

was  a  portrait  of  Hernando  Cortez,  a  life-size,  three- 
quarter-length  view.     Shortly   before    the   close   of 
her  husband's  presidency  it  was  presented  to  Mrs. 
Polk  by  General  Worth,  whose   monument  adorns 
the    angle    at   the   junction    of    Fifth    Avenue    and 
Broadway  in  New  York.     It  seemed  especially  ap- 
propriate that  General  Worth,  one   of  the   officers 
in   the   Mexican    army,   should    send   a    picture    of 
Cortez,  the  original  conqueror  of  that  country,  to 
the  wife  of  the  President  under  whose  administra- 
tion a  large  part  of  this  valuable  territory  was  added 
to  the  United  States.     The  portrait  is  a  copy  of  one 
that   hangs   in   the   Hospital   of  Jesus,   founded   by 
Cortez,  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  represents  that 
hero  equipped  in  shining  coat  of  mail,  standing  be- 
side a  table  where  lie  his  iron  gauntlets  and  plume- 
crowned  helmet.     His  hair  and  beard  are  dark  and 
abundant,  and  the  large  brown  eyes  are  looking  up- 
ward   with    a    contemplative    expression.     On    the 
drapery   of  the    background   is    the    coat   of  arms 
which    the    Emperor    Charles   V.   granted  to  Cor- 
tez   by  a   royal    patent    issued    at    Madrid    on    the 
7th  of  March,  1525.     On  the  7th  of  May,  1849.  the 
picture  was  hung  in  the  hall  at  Polk  Place,  and  the 
same  day  a  despatch  came  announcing  the  death  of 
General  Worth,  in  San  Antonio,  Texas. 

Over  the  white  marble  mantel-piece  in  the  large 


144 


THE   NASHVILLE  HOME. 


parlor  was  Mr.  Polk's  portrait,  painted  by  Healy  in 
1848;  and  in  the  recess  on  the  right,  that  of  his 
wife,  painted  at  the  same  time.  The  latter  reveals 
to  us  a  graceful  woman,  with  bright,  dark  eyes,  and 
clustering  curls  under  a  becoming  head-dress.  She 
is  attired  in  red  velvet,  with  uncovered  neck  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  that  day,  while  from  the  right 
shoulder  a  black  lace  shawl  hangs  in  careless  folds. 
She  is  smiling,  as  if  some  pleasant  word  had  just 
been  spoken,  or  had  occurred  to  her  own  mind. 
In  this  room  were  portraits  of  Washington,  Jeffer- 
son, and  Madison,  copies  of  Stuart's  original  pic- 
tures in  Mrs.  Madison's  house  at  Washington. 
They  were  copied  by  Mr.  King,  of  that  city,  having 
been  ordered  by  Mr.  Polk  after  his  return  to  Ten- 
nessee, and  did  not  arrive  until  after  his  death. 
Mrs.  Madison  died  about  two  months  afterward. 
There  was  also  a  portrait  of  Governor  Aaron  V. 
Brown,  painted  by  the  artist  Cooper.  Facing 
Washington's  picture  was  General  Jackson's  por- 
trait, painted  by  Sully.  The  hair  is  iron-gray,  and 
the  eyes  are  lighted  with  a  gentle,  kindly  expres- 
sion. Beneath  this  was  an  engraving  of  John 
Ouincy  Adams,  whose  face  is  bright  with  an  ani- 
mated look  which  he  did  not  often  wear  in  the 
presence  of  Jackson.  In  a  dark,  heavy  frame  was  a 
fac-simile  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  with 


THE   NASHVILLE   LIOME.  1 45 

all  the  historic  names  affixed  in  autograph.  In  the 
smaller  parlor  across  the  hall,  were  portraits  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Polk,  painted  by  Earle  during  General 
Jackson's  presidency.  His  first  message  to  Con- 
gress, printed  on  white  satin  framed  in  gilt,  Mr. 
Polk  had  placed  on  the  mantel;  and  on  either  side 
of  it  was  a  copy  of  his  inaugural  address  as  Gover- 
nor of  Tennessee,  and  as  President  of  the  United 
States,  similarly  printed  and  framed.  These  were 
left  just  where  they  had  been  put  by  his  own  hand. 
An  etagere  enclosed  with  glass  doors,  standing  be- 
neath Mrs.  Polk's  portrait,  contained  her  husband's 
canes,  and  also  the  books  which  had  been  presented 
to  her,  among  which  were  several  fine  copies  of 
"  The  Pilgrim's  Progress." 

This  home  was  to  be  a  veritable  and  continuing 
White  House  of  repose  and  peace,  in  which  the 
favored  dwellers  expected  to  spend  tranquil  and 
happy  days,  after  many  years  of  public  life  and 
service. 

In  the  pleasant  weeks  of  the  spring-time  Mr.  Polk's 
health  continued  as  usual,  and  he  and  his  wife  occu- 
pied themselves  with  their  friends  and  books,  and 
in  overseeing  the  improvements  of  the  grounds 
around  the  house.  A  friend  writing  at  that  time 
says  that  he  lately  saw  him  on  the  lawn,  superin- 
tending the  removal  of  some  decaying  cedars,  and 


146  THE   XASHVILLE   HOME. 

adds,  "  I  was  struck  with  his  erect  bearing  and  the 
energy  of  his  manner,  which  gave  promise  of  long 
hfe.  His  flowing  gray  locks  alone  made  him  ap- 
pear beyond  middle  age." 

On  the  28th  of  May  Mr.  Polk  wrote  to  his 
nephew,  J.  Knox  Walker:  "  There  have  been  a  few 
cases  of  cholera  here  within  the  past  week,  some 
of  which  have  terminated  fatally.  There  is  some 
alarm  in  the  community  in  consequence  of  its  ap- 
pearance, though  it  is  not  considered  as  epidemic. 
We  are  quietly  settled  in  our  new  home,  and  are 
pleased  with  it." 

A  day  or  two  afterward  he  said  to  his  wife, 
"  Sarah,  Nashville  is  getting  so  much  of  the 
cholera  that  we  will  go  away  Monday."  He  had 
bought  a  pair  of  carriage-horses,  and  his  last  busi- 
ness transaction  was  to  give  a  check  for  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  in  payment.  On  Saturday, 
they  drove  out  to  Major  Graham's  place  in  the 
country.  Their  plan  was  to  leave  home  on  Mon- 
day, to  pass  the  night  at  the  house  of  Mr.  George 
W.  Childress,  on  the  way  to  Columbia.  On  Sun- 
day morning  he  was  lying  on  the  sofa,  downstairs, 
and  said,  "  Sarah,  I  cannot  go  to  church  with  you 
to-day."  She  replied,  "  Well ;  I  will  go  by  myself. 
You  cannot  always  be  with  me."  When  she  had 
left  the  room,  he  called  her  back;   "  Sarah,  I  do  not 


THE  NASHVILLE  HOME.  147 

want  you  to  go.  I  am  too  unwell.  Have  a  fire 
made  in  my  room  upstairs,  and  send  for  Dr.  Felix 
Robertson.  Tell  him  I  want  company  to  sit  with 
me  this  morning."  It  was  the  third  of  June,  but 
a  cool  day.  On  a  rainy  day,  the  week  before,  he 
had  busied  himself  in  arranging  his  books,  and 
absorbed  in  the  labor  had  overtaxed  his  strength. 
This  brought  on  a  return  of  a  malady  which  had 
troubled  him  for  some  years. 

On  Sunday  evening  Dr.  Robertson  again  called 
and  suggested  that  as  he  was  too  old  to  go  out  at 
night,  some  younger  practitioner  should  be  called 
in.  Dr.  Buchanan  was  employed;  and  the  next 
day  Dr.  Esselman  was  also  engaged.  He  was  an 
old  friend  of  Mr.  Polk's,  and  had  been  General 
Jackson's  physician,  attending  him  in  his  last  ill- 
ness, four  years  before. 

For  a  long  time  the  enfeebled  state  of  his  health 
had  given  Mr.  Polk  much  anxiety  concerning  his 
wife.  Should  he  be  taken  away,  his  heart  sank  at 
the  thought  of  the  desolation  of  widowhood  that 
would  befall  her  who  had  so  long  been  the  constant 
companion  and  the  sympathetic  sharer  in  the  varied 
experiences  of  his  life.  So  perfect  had  been  their 
union  that  he  could  hardly  realize  the  fact  that  his 
boyhood  had  been  spent  without  the  daily  joy  of 
her  presence.     He  might  not  be  able  to  spare  her 


I48  THE   NASHVILLE   HOME. 

the  pain  of  separation,  but  he  would  at  least  so 
arrange  his  affairs  that  she  should  still  have  the 
refuge  and  comfort  of  a  home.  The  straits  to 
which  Mrs.  Madison  had  been  reduced  in  her  de- 
clining days  had  distressed  him,  and  he  was  anxious 
that  his  wife  should  be  placed  beyond  the  need  of 
public  or  private  beneficence.  Soon  after  the  be- 
ginnincT  of  his  illness  he  said  to  her  that  he  had  so 
settled  the  property  that  it  could  not  be  taken  from 
her;  that  the  plantation  in  Mississippi  would  sup- 
port her;  but  if  that  income  should  fail,  she  could 
get  some  friend  to  take  a  part  of  the  house  and  board 
her.  Unwilling  to  hear  him  talk  on  such  a  subject, 
she  interrupted  him,  but  he  persevered  in  telling 
her  what  to  do  in  the  event  of  his  death.  "  How 
thoughtful  he  was,"  she  afterward  said,  *'  and  how 
far-seeing;  for  it  is  owing  to  his  wise  precaution 
that  the  home  which  he  selected  has  been  to  me  a 
sheltering  haven  through  all  these  years." 

His  devoted  friends,  John  B.  Johnson  and  V.  K. 
Stevenson,  sat  at  his  bedside  every  alternate  night. 
During  these  heavy  days  the  cook  was  taken  sick, 
but  Mrs.  Polk  knew  nothing  of  it,  for  Colonel 
Stevenson  hearing  of  the  inconvenience,  went 
quickly  home  and  sent  his  own  to  Polk  Place,  hiring 
a  strange  servant  for  his  own  family.  Mrs.  Polk 
learned  of  this  delicate  kindness  long  afterward. 


THE   NASHVILLE  HOME.  1 49 

As  the  disease  continued  its  hold,  Mr.  Polk  asked 
that  his  brother-in-law,  Dr.  Hays  of  Columbia,  be 
sent  for.  Dr.  Jennings  and  several  other  physicians 
were  also  summoned  for  consultation,  but  all  efforts 
were  unavailing;  the  precious  life  ebbed  slowly  but 
steadily  away.  One  day  the  public  stage  stopped 
at  the  Avenue,  and  Bishop  Otey  alighted.  He 
entered  the  sick  chamber  and  stood  beside  the 
bed.  Holding  one  of  Mr.  Polk's  hands  in  his, 
with  his  own  right  hand  uplifted,  he  prayed  earn- 
estly for  the  dying  man. 

A  Nashville  correspondent  of  the  "  New  York 
Herald  "  gave  a  detailed  description  of  the  closing 
scenes,  from  which  the  following  extract  is  taken : 


''  Mr.  Polk  sent  for  the  Rev.  Dr.  Edgar  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  desiring  to  be  baptized  by  him.  He  said, 
'Sir,  if  I  had  suspected  twenty  years  ago  that  I  should 
come  to  my  death-bed  unprepared,  it  would  have  made  me 
a  wretched  man ;  yet  I  am  about  to  die  and  have  not 
made  preparation.  Tell  me,  sir,  can  there  be  any  ground 
for  a  man  thus  situated  to  hope?'  The  minister  made 
known  to  him  the  assurances  and  promises  of  the  gospel 
that  mercifully  run  parallel  with  man's  life.  Islr.  Polk 
evinced  much  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  which  he  said 
he  had  read  a  great  deal,  and  deeply  reverenced  as  divine 
truth.  The  conversation  fatiguing  him  too  much,  the 
baptism  was  postponed  till  the  next  evening.  In  the  inter- 
val, he  recollected  that  when  he  was  Governor  and  lived 


50 


THE  NASHVILLE   HOME. 


here,  he  used  to  hold  many  arguments  with  the  Rev.  Mr. 
McFerrin,  a  talented  Methodist  minister;  and  that  he  had 
promised  him  that  when  he  did  embrace  Christianity,  he, 
Mr.  McFerrin,  should  baptize  him.  He  therefore  sent  for 
Dr.  Edgar,  made  known  this  obligation,  and  expressed  his 
intention  to  be  baptized  by  the  Methodist  minister.  The 
same  day  the  venerable  Mrs.  Polk,  his  mother,  a  pious 
Presbyterian  lady,  arrived  from  her  residence  forty  miles 
distant,  accompanied  by  her  own  pastor,  hoping  that  her 
son  would  consent  to  be  baptized  by  him.  '  Mother,'  said 
Mr.  Polk,  '  I  have  never  disobeyed  you,  but  you  must  yield 
to  your  son  now,  and  gratify  my  wishes.'  His  wise  mother 
did  not  hesitate  to  give  her  consent ;  and  in  the  presence 
of  Dr.  Edgar,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mack,  of  Columbia,  he 
received  the  rite  of  baptism  at  the  hands  of  Mr.  McFerrin. 

*'  He  continued  gradually  to  sink,  and  at  twenty  minutes 
before  five  o'clock,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  15th  of  June, 
he  passed  away  without  a  struggle,  simply  ceasing  to 
breathe.  He  was  in  his  fifty- fourth  year.  About  half  an 
hour  before  his  death  his  venerable  mother  entered  the 
room,  and  kneeling  by  his  bedside,  offered  up  a  beautiful 
prayer  to  the  King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords,  commit- 
ting the  soul  of  lier  son  into  His  holy  keeping. 

"The  body  lies  in  state  to-day.  The  drawing-rooms  are 
shrouded  in  black ;  every  window  is  in  mourning  with 
black  scarfs  of  crape  ;  the  two  pillars  before  the  south 
entrance,  and  the  tall  columns  of  the  portico  facing  the 
east,  are  wound  with  black  cloth.  Before  the  funeral, 
Masonic  ceremonies  will  be  performed  in  the  drawing- 
room  over  the  body.  Death  has  impressed  the  features 
with  the  seal  of  majesty.  A  plain  silver  plate  upon  the 
coffin  bears  his  name,  and  the  dates  of  his  birth  and 
death." 


THE  NASHVILLE   HOME.  I51 

No  words  can  describe  the  depth  of  grief  into 
which  the  proud  and  loving  wife  was  plunged  by 
this  bitter  bereavement.  Many  years  after,  recall- 
ing the  scenes  of  dignity  and  joy  through  which 
she  had  passed,  she  said,  pathetically,  when  she 
came  to  this  experience,  *'  and  life  was  then  a 
blank." 

The    funeral    sermon  was    preached    in    the   Mc- 
Kendree     Methodist     Church,     by    Dr.     McFerrin. 
The    text  was    from   the    first    chapter   of   I   Peter, 
verses  3-5  :     "  Blessed  be  the  God  and   Father  of 
our    Lord    Jesus    Christ,   which    according  to    His 
abundant    mercy  hath    begotten    us    again  unto    a 
lively  hope    by  the    resurrection    of    Jesus    Christ 
from    the    dead,    to    an     inheritance    incorruptible, 
and  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not   away,  reserved 
in    heaven    for   you,  who    are   kept   by  the    power 
of  God   through   faith    unto   salvation   ready  to   be 
revealed    in   the  last  time."     From   this   same  text 
Dr.  McFerrin  had   preached  a  sermon  at  a  camp- 
meeting    held    near    Columbia    in    1833,   at  which 
Mr.   Polk  was  present.     Dr.   Fitzgerald,  in   his  life 
of  Dr.  McFerrin,  says :  "  The  plain  common-sense 
and    earnest  spirit  of  the  sermon  commended   the 
truth    to  the    judgment   of   the    clear-headed    and 
honest    lawyer,    and    the    Holy  Spirit   opened    his 
heart    to   receive   the  message   of   God.     The   gra- 


152  THE  NASHVILLE  HOME. 

cioiis  impression  was  indelible.  He  went  away 
from  the  camp-ground  a  convicted  sinner,  if  not 
a  converted  man.  The  words  of  the  sermon  still 
rang  in  his  inner  ear,  the  prayers  and  songs  of 
the  worshipping  multitude  followed  him,  and  as  he 
rode  homeward  through  the  beech  forests  and 
fertile  fields  of  Maury  County,  he  was  a  changed 
man." 

A  record  of  the  manifestations  of  grief,  public 
and  private,  at  the  loss  of  this  citizen,  patriot,  and 
friend  would  fill  a  volume.  Mrs.  Polk's  grief  was 
almost  unspeakable.  At  first,  her  friends  naturally 
refrained  from  mentioning  the  name  of  her  hus- 
band. But  the  Rev.  Dr.  Philip  Lindsley,  President 
of  the  University  of  Nashville,  when  he  called  to 
see  her,  said  that  it  was  his  custom  in  convers- 
ing with  the  bereaved  to  speak  of  the  dead.  This 
directness  of  speech  caused  her  a  pang  like  the 
probing  of  a  wound  too  sore  to  bear  the  touch  of 
even  a  gentle  finger.  Her  tears  began  to  flow,  and 
the  relief  of  speaking  freely  of  that  which  ever 
weighed  heavily  on  her  thoughts  was  so  soothing 
that  she  was  much  comforted  by  the  visit. 

The  following  extract  is  from  one  of  the  many 
letters  of  condolence  which  came  from  old  friends. 
It  was  written  by  the  Hon.  W.  L.  Marcy,  Mr. 
Polk's  Secretary  of  War. 


THE  NASHVILLE   HOME.  I  53 

"When  the  awful  ev^cnt  was  announced  I  could 
scarcely  realize  its  truth.  It  was  too  afflicting 
to  be  readily  believed ;  and  too  well  authenticated 
to  be  reasonably  doubted.  This  vacillation  be- 
tween hope  and  fear  soon  ceased.  When  the  sad 
news  could  no  longer  be  questioned,  all  began  to 
reflect  upon  the  extent  of  our  loss.  The  memory 
of  the  past  was  recalled;  those  incidents  which 
made  him  dear  to  private  friendship,  those  great 
events  which  made  him  an  object  of  public 
consideration,  rushed  upon  our  recollection.  If 
it  be  true,  as  is  often  said,  that  sorrows  are  les- 
sened by  being  divided,  you  will  deriv^e  consola- 
tion from  the  fact  that  a  whole  nation  mourns 
with  you,  that  numerous  friends  in  every  part  of 
this  extensive  country  deeply  sympathize  in  your 
sorrows.  The  Almighty  hand  which  chastises  can 
console;  and  in  your  case,  I  sincerely  hope  the 
ministration  of  comfort  from  that  source  may 
equal  the  severity  of  the  affliction." 

As  the  years  passed  on  friends  spoke  often  of 
her  husband,  and  his  memory  being  thus  contin- 
ually recalled  in  words,  the  feeling  of  unbroken 
association  with  him  unconsciously  grew.  This 
feeling  was  increased  whenever  she  entered  the 
room  he  had  used  as  an  office,  where  his  books 
and  writing    materials  were    lying   just    as    he    had 


154 


THE   NASHVILLE   HOME. 


left  them,  and  appeared  to  await  his  return  at  any 
moment.  And  when  the  monument  in  the  east 
grounds  of  Polk  Place  was  finished,  and  the 
remains  were  placed  in  the  vault  beneath,  the 
lonely  heart  was  cheered  by  the  thought  that  he 
was  again  near  her,  and  that  from  her  chamber 
window  she  could  always  see  his  resting-place.  On 
the  22d  of  May,  1850,  the  remains  were  removed 
from  the  city  cemetery  with  impressive  ceremonies. 
Among  the  ministers  present  was  Bishop  Otey, 
and  beside  him  stood  Dr.  McFerrin,  who  offered 
prayer. 

The  monument  was  built  by  the  direction  of 
Mr.  Polk,  and  was  designed  by  William  Strickland, 
the  architect  of  the  Capitol  of  Tennessee.  It  is  a 
small,  square,  open  temple,  with  plain  columns  at 
each  corner,  on  whose  slightly  ornamented  capitals 
rests  an  entablature,  impressive  by  the  absence  of 
adornment.  On  the  east  front  is  graven,  "  James 
Knox  Polk,  Tenth  President  of  the  United  States. 
Born  November  2,   1795;    Died  June   15,   1849."^ 


1  At  that  time  it  was  a  disputed  point  whetTier  Mr.  Tyler's 
administration  as  President  was  to  be  counted  as  one  with  that  of 
General  Harrison,  or  whether  each  was  to  be  considered  a  separate 
Presidential  term.  General  Harrison  lived  only  one  month  after 
his  inauguration,  and  Mr.  Tyler  was  the  first  Vice  President  whose 
lot  it  was  to  occupy  the  chair  of  the  Chief  Executive.  The  author 
of  the  inscription   believed  that  only  one  term  was  to  be  credited 


T7IE  NASHVILLE  HOME.  I  55 

A  few  steps    on    the   west   side   lead    up   to    the 
pavement   of   the   temple,  in   the    centre   of  which 
rises    a   tomb    three    or    four    feet    high,    bearing 
on    the   east  side   an   inscription    in    black    letters : 
"The   mortal    remains    of  James    Knox    Polk    are 
resting    in    the  Vault    beneath.     He    was    born    in 
Mecklenburg    County,   North    Carolina,    and    emi- 
grated with  his  father,  Samuel  Polk,  to  Tennessee, 
in   1806.     The   beauty  of  virtue  was   illustrated    in 
his  life ;    the  excellence  of  Christianity  was  exem- 
plified in  his  death."     On   the   north   side    are    the 
words :    "  His  life  was  devoted  to  the  public  service. 
He  was  elected   successively  to    the  first  places  in 
the   State   and  Federal   Governments,  —  a   member 
of  the  General  Assembly,  a  member  of  Congress 
and    Chairman    of    the    most    important    Congres- 
sional    Committees,    Speaker     of    the    House     of 
Representatives,     Governor    of     Tennessee,    Presi- 
dent  of   the    United    States."     On   the    south    face 
of    the    tomb    is    the    following:    ''By  his    public 
policy  he    defined,    established,    and    extended    the 
boundaries   of  his   country.     He   planted    the  laws 
of  the  American  Union  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 
His  influence  and  his  counsels  tended  to  organize 
the    national    treasury    on    the    principles    of    the 

to  Harrison  and  Tyler,  and  so  made  Mr.  Polk  the  tenth  President. 
That  opinion  has  since  been  reversed. 


156  THE  NASHVILLE   HOME. 

Constitution,  and  to  apply  the  rule  of  freedom  to 
navigation,  trade,  and  industry." 

This  epitaph  was  prepared  by  the  Hon.  A.  0. 
P.  Nicholson.  A  part  of  it  was  taken  from  the 
official  announcement  of  Mr.  Polk's  death  made 
to  the  Court  of  England  by  George  Bancroft,  the 
resident  American  Minister. 

The  fourth  side  of  the  tomb  was  left  blank  for 
the  epitaph  of  Mrs.  Polk,  for  whose  remains  a  place 
had  been  reserved  in  the  vault  below. 

Mr.  Polk's  last  will  and  testament  gave  to  his 
wife  everything  he  possessed  except  Polk  Place, 
which  was  devised  to  her  for  life.  Near  the  close  of 
the  instrument,  he  makes  this  tender  mention  of 
her:  "I  have  entire  confidence  that  my  beloved 
wife,  Sarah  Polk,  who  has  been  constantly  identified 
with  me  in  all  her  sympathies  and  affections,  through 
all  the  vicissitudes  of  my  public  and  private  life,  for 
more  than  twenty-five  years,  and  who  by  her  pru- 
dence, care,  and  economy,  has  aided  and  assisted 
me  in  acquiring  and  preserving  the  property 
which  I  own,  will  at  her  death  make  a  proper 
and  just  disposition  of  what  property  she  may  then 
possess." 

Mrs.  Polk  was  named  in  the  will  as  executrix, 
without  bond ;  and  Judge  John  Catron  and  Major 
Daniel   Graham,   executors,   clearly   with    the   view 


THE  NASHVILLE  HOME.  I  57 

of  her  thus  obtaining  the  benefit  of  their  advice. 
These  two  friends,  with  Col.  V.  K.  Stevenson  and 
Mr.  John  B.  Johnson,  true  to  the  wife  as  they 
had  been  to  the  husband,  attended  to  her  business 
affairs. 


THE   CHANGED   LIFE. 


CHAPTER   X. 
1 849-1 860. 

MRS.    POLK'S    mother,  a  remarkably  sensible 
and    kind-hearted    woman,    deeply   realized 
the  loneliness  of  her  daughter  in  her  widowhood. 
The  eldest  son  of  Mrs.  Childress,  and  also  his  wife, 
had  died  many  years  before,  leaving  one  little  girl, 
whom  the  affectionate  grandmother  had  taken  and 
reared  as  her  own  child.     In  the  course  of  time  this 
little  girl  became  Mrs.  Jetton ;   and   when  she  died, 
several   years    afterward,   Mrs.    Childress   took   the 
youngest  child,  a  daughter,  to  care  for  as  she  had 
cared  for  the  mother.    This  little  great-granddaugh- 
ter, Sarah  Polk  Jetton,   Mrs.  Childress  brought   to 
Nashville,  and  committed  her  to  the  care  of  Mrs.  Polk, 
in  the  hope  that  the  sunny  presence  of  childhood 
might  enliven  the  then  desolate  home.     Mrs.  Polk 
gratefully  accepted  the  kindness  of  her  mother,  and 
the  more  gladly  as  she  could  thus  fulfil  the  dying 
request  of  her  niece,  that  she  would   interest   herself 
particularly  in    the   welfare  of  the  child.     "  Judge 
Catron  was  well    acquainted    with  my  tastes,"  said 


1 62  THE   CHANGED  LIFE. 

Mrs.  Polk,  "  and  once  said  to  me,  *  You  are  not  the 
one,  Madame,  to  have  the  charge  of  a  httle  child ; 
you,  who  have  always  been  absorbed  in  political  and 
social  affairs.'  But,"  she  continued,  **  Sallie  had  a 
good  nurse  who  took  excellent  care  of  her,  and  I 
have  never  regretted  her  coming."  It  is  difficult  to 
imagine  how  one  might  have  been  affected  by  cir- 
cumstances that  did  not  occur.  However  it  might 
have  fared  with  her,  living  uncheered  by  the  devo- 
tion of  any  near  and  beloved  one,  certain  it  is  that 
the  little  niece  brought  a  new  light  and  life  into 
the  echoing  halls  and  stately  parlors  of  the  now 
quiet  mansion. 

As  the  years  went  by,  Mrs.  Polk  was  interested 
and  diverted  with  her  niece's  studies  and  experiences 
at  school ;  with  the  visits  of  her  youthful  compan- 
ions, and  the  gayeties  of  her  young  womanhood. 
Miss  Sallie  Polk,  as  she  was  familiarly  known,  sub- 
sequently married  a  young  merchant  of  Nashville, 
Mr.  George  William  Fall,  whose  family  came  of 
good  old  English  stock.  He  did  not  take  his  bride 
from  the  home  she  had  so  long  known  and  loved, 
and  Polk  Place  received  a  new  element  of  brightness 
in  the  presence  of  a  business  man  with  his  breezy 
touch  of  out-door  life.  Soon  a  little  daughter, 
Saidee  Polk,  filled  the  house  with  the  gladness  and 
cheer  of  childhood  and  youth. 


THE    CHANGED  LIFE.  1 63 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Edgar,  pastor  of  the    First    Pres- 
byterian   Church,    was    desirous    that    Mrs.    Polk 
should  remove  her  membership  from  Columbia  to 
the  church  at  Nashville.     He   was  a   man   of  high 
character  and  excellent  judgment,  and  felt  that  such 
a  change  would  add  to  her  comfort.     Whenever  he 
spoke  to  her  concerning  such  a  change,  she  would 
pleasantly  reply,   ''Dr.   Edgar,   I   do   not  wish    my 
name  to  be  read  out  in  church,  in  a  certificate  of 
good  standing."     It  was  customary  to  call  letters  of 
dismission,  transferring  membership  from  one  church 
to  another,  "certificates  of  good  standing."     Soon 
afterward  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Columbia  was 
burned,   and  then   Dr.    Edgar   playfully  remarked, 
"Now,   Madame,   you  will  be   obliged  to  join    us, 
because  the  list  of  members   in   your  church  was 
burned,  and  in  restoring  the  Hst  from  memory  your 
name  was  left  out,  and  now  you  do  not  belong  any- 
where."    Shortly  after,  she  removed   her  member- 
ship to  Nashville,  where  she  remained  ever  afterward 
a  faithful  communicant. 

It  was  customary  for  the  members  of  the  State 
General  Assembly  to  call  in  a  body  upon  the  widow 
of  the  ex-President  on  New  Year's  Day.  The  time 
of  this  visit  was  subsequently  changed  by  a  joint 
resolution  of  the  two  Houses,  to  "  any  suitable  day 
during  the  session."     The  military  companies  and 


1 64  THE   CHANGED  LIFE, 

Other  organizations  of  the  city,  and  all  bodies  con- 
vening here,  religious,  educational,  political ;  the 
Grand  Lodges  of  Masons,  Odd  Fellows,  and 
Knights  of  Pythias,  —  all  made  it  an  order  of  business, 
or  rather  of  privilege,  to  visit  the  tomb  of  the  ex- 
President,  and  to  pay  their  respects  to  his  widow. 
The  firemen  in  their  annual  parades  marched  by 
Polk  Place,  as  did  all  other  civic  and  military  pro- 
cessions, with  uncovered  heads.  Sometimes  the 
military  companies  paused  to  salute,  which  was 
always  pleasantly  acknowledged  by  the  recipient, 
who  with  her  friends  came  down  to  the  gate  to 
watch  the  procession. 

In  the  summer  of  1859  a  member  of  the  Chatham 
Artillery,  then  commanded  by  Captain  Claghorn, 
wrote  to  the  "  Savannah  Republican  "  an  account  of 
their  reception  in  Nashville.  After  speaking  of  the 
cordial  greeting  given  them  by  the  crowds  of  citi- 
zens, the  local  military  organizations,  and  the  cadets 
from  the  Military  Institute,  and  of  the  address  of 
welcome  by  the  mayor  of  the  city,  and  of  the  visit 
to  the  Capitol,  where  from  the  western  front  a  salute 
of  thirty-three  guns  was  fired,  —  he  says:  "  Return- 
ing from  the  hill  to  our  hotel,  we  passed  the  residence 
of  Mrs,  James  K.  Polk.  In  the  flower-garden  in 
front  of  the  house,  rises  a  monument  erected  over 
the   remains   and   to  the   memory    of  her   patriotic 


THE   CHANGED  LIFE.  165 

husband,  who  died  ten  years  ago  to-day.  As  we 
marched  by,  a  feeHng  of  sadness  seemed  to  over- 
come the  whole  corps,  and  as  we  came  to  present 
arms,  we  knew  that  we  were  paying  but  a  small  token 
of  the  respect  we  felt  to  the  memory  of  one  who 
once  occupied  so  elevated  a  position." 

Bishop  Green,  of  Mississippi,  was  a  college-mate 
of  Mr.  Polk's,  as  was  also  Bishop  Otey,  of  Tennessee. 
Once  when  in  attendance  upon  a  convention  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  in  Nashville,  they  came  with 
several  of  their  friends  to  visit  Mrs.  Polk.  Dur- 
ing the  conversation  she  said  to  Bishop  Green, 
"Were  not  you  and  Mr.  Polk  rivals?"  With  a 
low  bow  he  replied,  "  Madame,  your  husband  had 
no  rival."  "That  was  a  handsome  answer,"  she 
remarked  in  recounting  this  incident.  **  Some  per- 
sons would  have  said,  *  Yes,  he  excelled  in  this,  and 
I  excelled  in  that,'  trying  to  make  out  a  good  case 
for  themselves,  and  showing  in  what  studies  each 
deserved  credit.  Not  so  Bishop  Green.  Mr.  Polk 
won  the  highest  honors  and  the  bishop  was  second." 

Having  long  been  identified  with  the  life  and 
progress  of  the  country,  Mrs.  Polk  was  fully  pre- 
pared to  appreciate  the  labor  of  all  those  who  gave 
themselves  to  historical  studies.  The  patient  col- 
lectors of  facts  and  incidents,  of  relics  and  other 
articles  that  illustrate  the  past  to  future  generations, 


1 66  THE   CHANGED   LIFE. 

always  won  her  appreciation.  To  the  Tennessee 
Historical  Society  she  gave  several  objects  worthy 
of  preservation.  Among  them  a  medallion  likeness 
of  President  Polk ;  a  blue  pitcher  used  in  the  Indian 
Council  convened  at  Hopewell  in  1785,  which  was 
called  the  pitcher  of  the  chief,  and  originally  be- 
longed to  Oken-Shan-Tah,  the  great  king  of  the 
Cherokees ;  and  also  an  Indian  pipe  and  ornaments, 
which  had  been  presented  to  President  Polk  by 
Wee-no-shick,  head  chief  of  the  Winnebagoes. 
To  these  were  added  the  following  articles :  "The 
Four  Gospels  in  Choctaw,"  by  Rev.  Cyrus  Brying- 
ton,  1845  ;  a  piece  of  live  oak  from  the  old  ship 
Constitution,  carved  in  the  form  of  a  book;  a 
hickory  cane,  presented  to  President  Polk  by  the 
'*  Castile  Hickory  Club,"  New  York  ;  and  a  medallion 
likeness  of  Louis  Philippe,  1846. 


DURING  THE   CIVIL  WAR. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

1860-1865. 

SAD  and  disastrous,  the  air  full  of  farewells  -to 
the  dying  and  mournings  for  the  dead,  the 
Civil  War,  in  its  disappointments  and  terrors,  proved 
to  Mrs.  Polk  the  wisdom  of  Providence  that  had  re- 
moved her  husband  from  participation  in  its  direful 
scenes.  He  was  relieved  from  the  necessity  of  de- 
ciding between  the  two  parts  of  his  country,  —  as 
painful  a  necessity  as  that  of  deciding  between  two 
children,  with  one  of  whom  he  must  go,  and  to  the 
other  he  must  become  an  alien.  This  inexorable 
necessity  filled  with  agony  many  a  public  servant 
whose  life  service  had  been  given  to  the  Republic 
of  Liberty,  and  whose  success  and  happiness  had 
been  identified  with  that  of  the  whole  United  States. 
Mr.  Polk  was  naturally  a  Union  man,  having  devoted 
himself  to  the  advancement  of  the  whole  country 
over  whose  government  he  had  presided.  But  it 
would  have  caused  him  unspeakable  distress  to  take 
sides  against  his  beloved  home.     Or  if  he  had  cast 


i;;0  DURING    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

his  lot  with  his  own  State,  painful  in  the  extreme  it 
would  have  been  to  him  to  see  riven  asunder  the 
country  in  whose  service  he  had  worn  himself  out. 
In  either  case,  he  would  have  been  misunderstood, 
and  possibly  maligned,  and  would  surely  have  drunk 
a  bitter  cup  of  sorrow.  SJie  saw  that  it  was  better 
as  it  was. 

When  the  Federal  army  was  approaching  to  take 
possession  of  Nashville,  some  of  her  near  relatives 
living  in  Murfreesborough,  fearing  for  her  welfare, 
were  urgent  that  she  should  go  south.  They  felt 
that  it  was  not  proper  for  an  unprotected  woman  to 
remain  in  a  city  invaded  by  a  victorious  army,  and 
to  incur  the  risks  which,  to  the  alarmed  and  excited 
imaginations  of  the  people,  seemed  indeed  frightful. 
They  also  thought  that  she  was  in  danger  of  having 
her  house  seized  by  the  military  commanders,  and 
of  being  compelled  to  leave  her  chosen  retreat.  She 
told  them  that  she  was  at  home,  and  intended  to 
stay  at  home,  and  that  if  her  house  should  be  blown 
up  or  burned  up,  she  would  pitch  a  tent  on  the 
lawn  beside  Mr.  Polk's  tomb,  and  stay  there.  In 
this  determination,  she  was  guided  by  the  wisdom 
of  Providence.  The  officers  stationed  In  the  city 
treated  her  with  the  utmost  deference.  The  Con- 
federate commanders  who  were  in  Nashville  before 
its  occupation  by  their  opponents,  and  the  Federal 


DURING    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  171 

generals  afterward  were  alike  in  their  respectful 
kindness  and  manner  toward  her.  This  was  not 
solely  attributable  to  the  universal  esteem  in  which 
she  was  held,  but  arose  in  a  great  measure  from  the 
strong  common-sense  and  fine  tact  she  always  dis- 
played. In  asking  for  passes  or  other  favors,  she 
never  demanded  them  as  a  right,  but  said,  *'  If  I 
have  asked  for  anything  which  it  would  be  incon- 
sistent or  improper  to  grant,  of  course  I  will  not 
expect  to  receive  it."  Her  requests  were  cour- 
teously accorded.  When  her  mother  was  taken  ill, 
an  officer,  with  a  guard  and  ambulance,  was  detailed 
to  take  her  to  Murfreesborough.  The  only  instance 
of  her  travelling  on  Sunday  was  when  a  special  train 
was  to  come  on  that  day  from  Murfreesborough  to 
Nashville,  and  she  accepted  the  invitation  to  return 
with  it  because  of  the  uncertainty  and  irregularity 
attending  the  running  of  trains.  Several  officers 
stationed  at  Murfreesborough  subsequently  took 
upon  themselves  the  kind  duty  of  acquainting  her 
from  time  to  time  with  the  state  of  her  mother's 
health. 

Judge  John  M.  Lea  was  one  of  the  committee 
appointed,  with  the  mayor,  to  meet  the  Federal 
army  on  its  entrance  into  the  city.  He  asked  Mrs. 
Polk,  '*  What  shall  I  say  to  General  Buell  for  you?" 
"  Tell  him  I  am  at  home,"  was  the  reply.     This  was 


1/2  DURIXG    THE   CIVIL    WAR, 

said  cheerily,  in  the  effort  to  look  at  the  matter  in 
the  brightest  light,  and  seemed  to  be  the  best,  and 
indeed  the  only  thing  she  could  say,  inasmuch  as 
nothing  that  anybody  said  could  in  any  way  alter 
the  state  of  affairs.  A  few  days  after  his  arrival, 
General  Buell,  as  the  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Federal  army,  sent  a  note  requesting  permission  to 
call  with  some  friends  and  pay  his  respects  to  the 
widow  of  an  ex-President  of  the  United  States.  She 
replied  in  writing  that  she  would  see  him  and  his 
friends  the  next  morning  at  eleven  o'clock.  At  the 
hour  appointed,  the  general  came  with  several  of 
his  staff-offfcers,  and  nearly  every  commanding  gen- 
eral in  and  around  the  city,  eighteen  or  twenty  in 
number.  She  had  invited  a  few  neighbors  to  assist 
in  entertaining  her  visitors,  and  the  interview  of  an 
hour  was  courteous  and  pleasant  on  both  sides. 
Upon  retiring,  the  officers  expressed  their  gratifica- 
tion at  their  kind  reception.  Elias,  the  negro  man 
who  had  waited  on  President  Polk  at  the  White 
House,  was  standing  at  the  steps,  below  the  portico, 
when  they  took  their  leave,  bowing  with  uncovered 
head  as  had  been  his  custom  in  the  old  da\'S  in 
Washington.  One  of  the  generals,  as  he  passed 
out,  said,  "  Well,  my  colored  friend,  what  do  you 
think  of  the  situation?"  "I'm  for  the  rights  of 
the  South  in  the  territories,"  promptly  replied  Elias. 


DURING    THE   CIVIL    WAR.  1 73 

This  unexpected  answer  raised  the  hearty  laughter 
of  the  whole  party  as  they  went  down  the  gravel 
walk,  and  one  of  them  said,  "  You  'd  better  not  ask 
another  darkey  his  political  opinions  in  this  section 
of  the  country." 

All  the  commanding  officers  at  different  times 
stationed  in  Nashville  also  called  to  honor  the 
memory  of  a  former  Chief  Executive,  and  show 
their  respectful  regard  for  his  widow.  Among 
these  were  Generals  Thomas,  Grant,  and  others. 
On  one  occasion,  when  Mrs.  Polk  entered  the 
parlor  to  receive  General  Sherman,  he  remarked 
that  he  had  been  looking  at  President  Polk's  In- 
augural Address,  which  not  only  contained  expres- 
sions of  attachment  and  loyalty  to  the  Union,  but 
also  affirmed  that  it  should  be  preserved  forever 
indissoluble.  '*  Those  are  good  sentiments,  sir," 
was  her  reply.  General  Sherman  asked  her,  "  If 
you  were  now  to  visit  Washington,  Madame,  where 
would  you  go  first?"  The  reply,  which  came  in- 
stantly, seemed  to  surprise  him.  *'  I  would  go  to 
the  White  House,  sir,  to  call  on  the  President." 
Aware  of  the  intensity  of  public  feeling,  he  possi- 
bly thought  that  the  Southern  woman  before  him 
would  express  an  aversion  for  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
everything  pertaining  to  the  Federal  Union.  She 
was    indeed    truly    devoted    to    her    own    land    and 


174  DURING   THE   CIVIL    WAR. 

people,  but  the  principles  of  truth  and  honor 
which  she  held  preserved  her  from  bigotry  and 
partisanship. 

One  da}'  an  officer  came  to  see  her  whose  grand- 
father she  had  known  as  a  member  of  Congress. 
In  speaking  of  her  patriotism  she  said  to  him  that 
she  felt  an  attachment  for  the  United  States  which 
was  but  natural  in  one  who  had  been  identified  with 
one  of  its  Chief  Magistrates,  and  who  had  regarded 
the  whole,  and  not  a  section  of  it,  as  her  native 
land.  **  But  how  do  you  think  I  felt  when  the  bat- 
tle raged  near  Murfreesborough,  my  native  home?" 

"  Madame,  if  you  had  not  then  felt  as  a  Southern 
woman  would  feel  whose  home  was  invaded,  I  could 
not  have  come  to  see  you." 

An  interesting  visitor  came  one  morning,  in  the 
person  of  General  Lytle,  the  author  of  that  touch- 
ing poem,  "  I  am  dying,  Egypt,  dying."  The 
servants  chanced  to  be  out  of  the  way,  and  the 
lady  went  herself  to  the  door.  When  he  saw  her 
approaching,  he  exclaimed,  *'  Mrs.  Polk !  "  and 
stepping  back  a  few  paces,  he  took  off  the  cloak 
hanging  around  his  shoulders,  and  putting  it  over 
his  arm,  bowed  in  the  most  courtly  manner  while 
introducing  himself.  When  they  were  seated  he 
told  her  that  though  she  did  not  know  him,  he  had 
had    the    pleasure   of   seeing  her.     Mis   father   had 


DURING    THE   CIVIL    WAR.  175 

been  a  member  of  Congress,  and  had  boarded  in 
the  house  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  in  Washington; 
and  on  one  of  their  journeys,  as  they  passed 
through  Cincinnati,  his  father's  carriage  was  sent 
for  them,  and  he,  a  httle  boy,  took  dehght  in  sit- 
ting beside  the  driver  and  getting  down  to  open  the 
door  for  the  distinguished  guests,  who  had  no  idea 
who  he  was. 

A  short  distance  south  of  Nashville  was  Belmont, 
the  beautiful  country  home  of  Mrs.  J.  A.  S.  Acklen, 
afterward  Mrs.  Dr.  W.  A.  Cheatham.  Her  hus- 
band was  then  absent,  attending  to  their  plantations 
in  Louisiana.  Her  house  was  partly  occupied  by 
army  officers,  who  advised  her,  in  preparation  for 
a  battle  soon  to  take  place  in  the  neighborhood,  to 
put  her  valuables  in  some  place  of  safe  keeping.  A 
large  number  of  portraits  and  other  fine  paintings, 
with  boxes  of  silver,  jewelry,  and  diamonds,  were 
sent  to  Mrs.  Polk  with  the  request  that  she  would 
take  charge  of  them.  The  Tennessee  Historical 
Society  also  made  Mrs.  Polk  the  custodian  of  some 
of  its  possessions.  The  soldier  who  had  brought 
Mrs.  Acklen's  valuables,  asked  if  Mrs.  Polk  would 
like  to  have  a  guard ;  to  which  she  replied,  "  Oh, 
no."  Her  character  was  her  citadel,  and  she  needed 
no  defence  of  armed  men.  In  those  trying  times, 
she  seemed  equal  to  every  occasion ;  and  this  signal 


176  DURING    THE   CIVIL    WAR. 

power  she  ascribed  to  that  Divine  protection  which 
had  kept  her  safely  day  by  day.  She  often  said 
that  she  could  not  be  grateful  enough  for  the  guid- 
ance which  had  led  her  through  life,  giving  her 
every  comfort  and  advantage.  And,  certainly,  not 
the  least  of  her  blessings  was  this  thankful  appre- 
ciation of  the  Divine  goodness. 

The  results  of  the  war  left  her  in  altered  circum- 
stances, for  her  financial  losses  were  heavy.  Her 
slaves  were  freed,  her  cotton  destroyed  by  fire, 
and  her  plantation  in  Mississippi  much  depreciated 
in  value.  So  great  was  the  difficulty  of  making  the 
cultivation  profitable,  that  she  disposed  of  it,  —  at 
first  selling  a  part,  and  subsequently  the  remainder 
of  the  estate.  The  affairs  of  the  plantation  were 
honorably  and  satisfactorily  wound  up  by  Judge 
Avent,  the  husband  of  Mary  Childress,  her  niece. 

When  the  war  was  over,  and  the  legislature  again 
met,  the  customary  call  at  Polk  Place  was  revived. 
Col.  Bailie  Peyton,  of  the  committee  appointed  to 
inform  Mrs.  Polk  of  the  proposed  visit,  wrote  her 
a  note,  from  which  the  following  sentences  are 
taken :  — 

**  The  General  Assembly  is  mainly  composed  of 
those  who  well  remember  your  association  with 
the  distinguished  personages  of  a  past  generation. 
How  nobly  you  bore  your  part  is  attested  by  the 


DURING    THE   CIVIL    WAR.  1 77 

unanimous  voice  of  all.  We  would  not  recall  the 
events  of  the  last  few  years,  but  it  is  impossible  that 
we  could  be  insensible  to  those  incidents,  which 
history  will  preserve,  when,  as  we  trust,  the  calami- 
ties of  that  period  are  remembered  no  more.  You 
were  in  the  line  of  the  advancing  and  receding 
hosts,  in  the  very  gulf-stream  of  the  war,  but  the 
mad  passions  engendered  by  the  conflict  were  ever 
calmed  in  the  presence  of  your  abode.  Without 
reference  to  the  flag  he  followed,  each  subaltern 
and  superior  regarded  your  feelings  as  sacred,  and 
his  good  sword  as  pledged  no  less  to  your  defence 
than  to  the  cause  in  which  he  drew  it.  Candor, 
Madame,  compels  us  to  say  that  we  cannot  dissever 
our  veneration  and  regard  for  yourself  from  the 
grateful  recollections  we  cherish  for  the  memory 
of  your  distinguished  husband.  That  spot  which 
holds  his  remains,  that  tomb  which  is  watched  by 
such  devoted  affection,  must  be  sacred  in  our  eyes ; 
it  will  be  doubly  so  to  posterity  at  a  time,  far  off, 
as  we  trust,  in  the  distant  future,  when  your  ashes 
shall  mingle  with  his." 


12 


YEARS   OF   GRACIOUS    HOSPI- 
TALITY. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
1865-1884. 

A  S  in  ante-bellum  days,  so  after  the  war,  various 
organized  bodies,  local  and  visiting,  made  it 
a  point  to  call  on  the  lady  at  Polk  Place.  She  was 
assisted  in  these  receptions  by  her  niece,  Mrs.  Fall, 
and  other  ladies,  and  a  few  gentlemen.  An  address 
was  usually  made  by  some  one  of  the  visitors  on 
behalf  of  the  body  represented,  and  a  reply  on  be- 
half of  the  honored  lady,  by  some  one  of  the  home 
guests. 

On  one  occasion,  during  a  visit  of  the  General  As- 
sembly, Senator  Gibson  said,  "  Mrs.  Polk,  allow  me 
to  propose  an  impromptu  toast  to  our  country,  to 
George  Washington  who  did  more  than  any  other 
man  to  establish  it,  and  to  James  K.  Polk  who  did 
more  than  any  other  man  to  enlarge  it."  The 
venerable  representative  from  Madison,  Robert  I. 
Chester,  then  moved  that  *'  this  House  do  now  ad- 
journ until  ten  o'clock  to-morrow,"  which  was  re- 
ceived with  laughter,  and  all  retired  highly  pleased. 


1 82        y/^:ARs  OF  gracious  hospitality. 

Some  years  afterward  Mrs.  Polk  gave  to  Colonel 
Chester  the  heavy  walking  cane  presented  to  her 
husband  in  1846  by  Mr.  Joseph  Hall,  a  member  of 
Congress  from  Maine,  which  had  been  cut  from  the 
live-oak  timber  of  that  stout  and  famous  old  vessel, 
"  Ironsides." 

In  December,  1884,  Colonel  Chester  was  the  bearer 
of  the  electoral  vote  of  Tennessee  to  the  National 
Senate,  and  as  his  ninety-first  birthday  occurred  the 
July  previous,  his  long  journey  and  important  mis- 
sion made  him  an  object  of  much  attention.  Fin- 
ishing his  patriotic  business  in  Washington,  he  went 
to  Albany  to  visit  President-elect  Cleveland.  As  he 
passed  through  Nashville  on  his  return  home,  he 
told  Mrs.  Polk  that  he  had  carried  the  cane  she 
gave  him,  and  that  it  had  everywhere  introduced 
him  to  the  best  people. 

At  a  council  of  the  Teachers'  National  Associa- 
tion, held  in  Nashville,  General  Eaton  offered. a 
resolution,  "  that  this  body  call  at  the  residence  of 
Mrs.  President  Polk  in  recognition  of  the  eminent 
position  to  which  her  late  husband  and  companion 
in  life  was  called,  as  well  as  out  of  respect  to  her 
womanly  qualities."  Ex-Governor  Foote  of  Mis- 
sissippi said  :  **  Nothing  could  be  more  proper  and 
becoming,  in  my  judgment,  than  that  this  learned 
and  truly  National  Association  should  call  upon  this 


YEARS   OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY.  1 83 

noble  lady.  In  approaching  the  abode  where  she 
has  so  long  resided  in  quiet  dignity,  you  will  pass 
in  sight  of  her  husband's  tomb.  Twenty  years  ago 
I  was  appointed  to  deliver  the  funeral  oration  in 
honor  of  Mr.  Polk  in  the  capital  of  the  nation,  a 
task  painful  yet  pleasing.  So  now,  it  will  afford 
me  gratification  to  have  the  honor  of  introducing 
you,  sir,  and  your  associates  to  Mrs.  Polk ;  but 
while  doing  so  I  shall  feel,  as  I  never  fail  to  do 
when  I  behold  her,  a  natural  regret  that  so  much 
excellence,  displayed  alike  in  peace  and  amid  the 
troubled  scenes  of  war,  in  high  public  position,  and 
amid  the  endearments  of  domestic  privacy,  must  in 
a  few  years  more  be  compelled  to  bid  adieu  to  earth 
and  its  transitory  scenes  of  fancied  glory." 

Mrs.  Polk  received  many  pressing  invitations  to 
visit  the  Centennial  Exposition  of  our  national  in- 
dependence at  Philadelphia.  Colonel  Scott,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  offered  to  place 
a  palace  car  at  her  disposal  during  her  stay.  At 
the  same  time  Colonel  Forney,  of  that  city,  sent  her 
an  urgent  request  to  become  his  guest.  The  invi- 
tation was  sent  by  Colonel  Forney  through  General 
Pennypacker  of  the  regular  army,  then  on  duty 
in  Nashville.  Her  friends  were  desirous  that  she 
should  accept  the  courteous  generosity  of  Colonel 
Scott    and    others,    and    make     a    journey    wdiich 


1 84  YEAJxS   OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY. 

seemed  to  promise  so  much  enjoyment,  but  she 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  leave  her  home.  She 
had  been  earnestly  requested  by  different  Presi- 
dents, to  spend  some  time  in  the  Executive  Man- 
sion. President  Johnson,  especialh',  had  sent  her  a 
cordial  invitation  to  visit  the  White  Plouse,  and 
meet  the  friends  of  former  times,  and  see  the 
changes  that  had  been  wrought  in  her  old  home. 
All  these  proposals  she  declined.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  brief  visits,  made  at  long  intervals,  to  her 
mother  at  Murfreesborough,  she  remained  continu- 
ously in  the  beloved  home  chosen  and  prepared  for 
her  by  her  husband.  Her  mother  died  during  the 
war,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  and  after  that  event 
nothing  could  tempt  her  from  Polk  Place.  Here 
she  found  ample  occupation,  and  felt  no  need  of 
seeking  satisfaction  elsewhere.  The  family  circle 
was  complete  with  her  niece  and  nephew  and  their 
daughter.  There  were  many  friends  who  kept  her 
in  full  sympathy  with  the  life  in  the  city  beyond 
her  own  doors.  She  did  not  return  visits ;  and 
went  only  to  church,  where  her  place  was  always 
filled  when  the  weather  and  her  health  permitted. 
Many  old  acquaintances  passing  through  Nashville 
came  to  renew  former  associations ;  and  strangers 
of  all  classes  constantly  called  to  pay  their  respects 
to  her.     They  found  her  alive  to  the  stirring  ques- 


YEARS  OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY.  I  85 

tions  of  the  day,  not  clinging,  as  they  might  have 
supposed,  to  the  dead  issues  of  the  far-off  past  when 
she  hved  in  the  midst  of  the  activities  of  the  nation. 
She  was  abreast  with  the  news  of  the  hour,  familiar 
with  the  names  of  pubhc  men  and  the  discussion  of 
pubhc  measures,  and  interested  in  the  drift  of  pub- 
lic sentiment  and  the  ever-changing  condition  of 
affairs.  Remembering  the  great  men  and  the  im- 
portant events  of  a  former  generation,  she  was 
keenly  observant  of  the  men  and  the  movements 
of  the  present  time. 

In  August,  1877,  the  American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science  met  in  the  Capitol  at 
Nashville  in  their  twenty-sixth  annual  session.  On 
the  second  day  Professor  Simon  Newcomb,  the 
President,  made  the  following  announcement:  "  The 
city  of  Nashville  rejoices  in  something  which  here- 
tofore we  have  been  accustomed  to  associate  only 
with  the  ancient  world.  At  this  shrine  all  visitors 
are  expected  to  worship.  In  accordance  with  this 
custom,  which  I  am  sure  every  one  present  will 
recognize  as  becoming  and  appropriate,  the  Asso- 
ciation will  to-day,  at  the  close  of  sectional  business, 
proceed  to  pay  their  respects  to  Mrs.  Polk,  relict  of 
the  late  President  Polk." 

Being  ushered,  at  one  o'clock,  into  the  large 
parlor   where,   with   a   few    friends,    Mrs.   Polk  was 


l86  YEARS   OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY. 

waiting  to  receive  them,  President  Newcomb  said : 
•'  Mrs.  Polk,  we  appear  before  you  as  students  of 
Nature  in  all  her  kingdoms,  the  humble  disciples 
of  a  school  of  teachers  whose  instructions  have  rev- 
olutionized socict}',  and  whose  discoveries  have 
enriched  the  world.  We  come  as  pilgrims  of  an- 
cient Greece  came  to  the  Temple  of  Diana,  to  do 
homage  at  your  shrine.  If  the  customs  of  the 
world  had  not  changed,  our  fatted  lamb  would  be 
sacrificed  on  your  altar,  and  the  smoke  of  our  in- 
cense would  perfume  the  air  of  your  dwelling.  By 
an  expression  of  our  sentiments  more  modern  in  its 
character,  we  assure  you  of  our  respectful  regard 
for  the  consort  of  one  who  has  filled  the  highest 
position  in  our  land,  and  who,  by  the  elevation  of 
her  character,  commands  the  esteem  of  every  citi- 
zen of  her  country.  We  pray,  honored  i\Iadame, 
that  Providence  may  preserve  }"our  life  and  health 
through  years  to  come;  and  that  you  may  long 
rejoice  in  the  place  you  hold  in  the  hearts  of  your 
countrymen." 

A  fitting  response  was  made  by  Dr.  John  Berrien 
Lindsley,  secretary  of  the  local  committee. 

The  following  month  the  National  Association  of 
Fire  Engineers,  representing  twenty-one  States,  met 
here;  and  the  next  afternoon  they  went  in  proces- 
sion   from   the   Capitol   to   Polk   Place,   headed    by 


YEARS   OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY.  1 8/ 

their  president,  Capt.  William  Stockell.  Mrs.  Polk 
said,  in  her  quiet  manner,  that  the  visit  of  the  Fire 
Chiefs  gave  her  much  pleasure.  "  You,  gentlemen, 
are  the  protectors  of  the  lives  and  property  of  the 
people  of  this  country.  I  thank  you,  one  and  all." 
Several  spirited  songs  added  to  the  enjoyment  of 
all  present.  In  the  evening  a  banquet  was  given 
at  the  Maxwell  House,  by  the  Board  of  Under- 
writers, and  among  other  decorations  of  the  din- 
ing-hall  was  the  flag  presented  to  the  old  volunteer 
company,  No.  4,  by*  President  Polk,  of  which  com- 
pany he  was  an  honorary  member. 

President  Hayes  and  Mrs.  Hayes  visited  Mrs. 
Polk  during  their  southern  tour  in  the  autumn  of 
1877.  They  were  accompanied  by  Secretary 
Evarts  and  his  two  daughters,  and  also  by  Col. 
Wade  Hampton,  and  Postmaster-General  Key. 
Mrs.  Polk  thought  Mrs.  Hayes  a  charming  woman. 
A  reception  was  given  to  the  presidential  party  by 
Col.  E.  W.  Cole  and  his  wife  at  their  residence,  but 
in  accordance  with  her  long-settled  habit  of  refus- 
ing all  invitations,  the  lady  of  Polk  Place  was  not 
present. 

During  a  call  made  by  General  Sam  F.  Gary, 
when  he  came  to  Nashville  to  deliver  two  public 
addresses,  she  said  to  him,  "Judge  Hoadley  of 
your  city,  and  the  great  lawyer,  Charles  O'Conor, 
called  on  me  recently.     Mr.  O'Conor  is,  like  my- 


1 88  YEARS  OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY. 

self,  getting  along  in  years,  and  his  hair  is  snow- 
white.  We  had  a  good  talk  of  Washington  life 
away  back  in  the  forties  when  I\Ir.  Polk  was  Presi- 
dent. He  told  me  of  his  exalted  opinion  of  himself 
and  his  exquisite  sensations  of  distinction  and  pleas- 
ure when  he  was  invited  to  a  public  dinner  at  the 
White  House.  He  asked  me  if  I  remembered  the 
occasion.  I  regretted  that  in  such  a  multitude  of 
dinners  and  social  amenities  I  could  not  recall  the 
instance.  Mr.  O'Conor  reminded  me  of  it  by  say- 
ing: 'Why,  Mrs.  Polk,  you  and  I  were  young  and 
jovial  then,  and  I  remember  it  as  distinctly  as  if  it 
were  but  yesterday;  and  you  were  so  gracious  to  us 
all.'  His  memory  was  tenacious  and  enthusiastic, 
and  I  was  pleased ;  but  recollection  of  that  particu- 
lar event  was  effaced  by  time." 

In  the  spring  of  1880  occurred  the  centennial  of 
he  city  of  Nashville.  The  celebration  began  on 
the  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  day  on  which 
the  settlers  of  Nashborough  on  the  Cumberland 
River  entered  into  "  a  compact  for  their  self-gov- 
ernment and  protection."  The  military,  with  music 
and  banners,  quaintly  uniformed  soldiers  of  a  cen- 
tury past,  and  companies  in  the  more  famiHar  mar- 
tial array  of  the  present,  display-wagons,  trades- 
unions,  societies,  and  orders,  with  citizens  on  foot 
and  in  carriages,  made  a  long  and  imposing  proces- 
sion winding  through  the  city.    Multitudes  thronged 


YEARS  OF  GRACIOUS   HOSPITALITY.  1 89 

the  Capitol  grounds,  where  the  bronze  statue  of 
Jackson  was  to  be  unveiled.  After  the  manner  of 
Nashville  processions,  the  ex-President's  home  and 
tomb  lay  in  the  line  of  march.  Mrs.  Polk  was  at 
the  Vine  Street  gate,  and  around  her  were  gathered 
the  youths  and  maidens  of  the  Grammar  Depart- 
ment of  the  public  schools.  As  the  procession  was 
approaching,  the  fresh,  sweet  voices  of  the  girls  and 
boys,  led  by  their  singing-master,  struck  up  the 
stirring  air  of  a  Centennial  Hymn.  The  following 
are  two  of  the  stanzas :  — 


"The  light  of  vanished  days  returns 

To  shine  once  more  in  Nashville's  sky, 
And  with  the  added  glory  burns 

Of  all  the  hundred  years  gone  by. 
And  lo,  this  motto  —like  the  sign 
That  beamed  from  heaven  on  Constantine  - 

These  mystic  rays  from  other  days 
Emblazon  on  each  grateful  heart, 
With  more  than  mortal  power  or  art, 
'  Give  God  the  praise  .' ' 

"  The  air  is  full  of  whisperings  weird, 
The  echoes  of  a  hundred  years. 
The  wild  war-whoop  that  brave  men  feared 

Comes,  dulled  by  distance,  to  our  ears  ; 
Then  sounds  of  busy  life  and  trade, 
When  here  sweet  Peace  her  dwelling  made 

Then  waves  of  song  re-echo  long 
A  people's  grateful  thanks  to  Him 
Who  led  them  from  the  forest  dim, 
And  made  them  strong." 


190  YEARS   OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPI'IALITY. 

On  one  of  Senator  Bayard's  visits  to  Nashville 
his  daughters  were  with  him,  and  when  they  called 
to  see  Mrs.  Polk,  Senator  Gorman  of  Maryland, 
who  came  with  them,  remarked  to  her:  "You  do 
not  remember  me,  Madame,  but  I  remember 
you  perfectly.  I  have  opened  the  door  for  you 
many  a  time  w^hen  I  was  a  page  at  the  Capitol  in 
Washington." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Peschau,  a  former  pastor  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church  in  Nashville,  and  an 
enthusiastic  member  of  the  Tennessee  Historical 
Society,  after  removing  to  Wilmington,  North 
Carolina,  wrote  a  letter  from  which  the  followinp; 
passage  is  taken:  — 

"Dear  and  highly  esteemed  Mrs.  Polk: 
Greetings  in  the  name  of  our  dear  Lord  Jesus 
Christ!  .  .  .  Last  week  I  spent  a  few  days  in  Charles- 
ton, to  attend  the  annual  convention  of  the  Lu- 
theran Synod  of  South  Carolina.  It  was  my  good 
fortune  to  be  assigned  to  the  house  of  William  Kirk- 
wood,  Esq.,  a  venerable  man,  eighty-four  years  of 
age.  How  well  he  remembers  Mr.  Polk's  visit  to  the 
city  on  his  return  from  Washington.  It  so  happened 
that  Mr.  Polk  was  compelled  to  wait  almost  an  hour 
directly  in  front  of  Mr.  Kirkwood's  house  and  un- 
der his  shade   trees,   until  the   military  which   had 


TEARS   OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY.  I91 

come  to  escort  him  and  a  part  of  his  cabinet  to  the 
Charleston  Hotel  had  formed  in  line.  The  ladies, 
seeing  this,  gathered  upon  the  piazza  in  the  second 
story  and  fairly  showered  flowers  upon  him  and  his 
carriage.  Mr.  Polk  thereupon  turned  and  acknowl- 
edged the  compliment  by  removing  his  hat  and 
bowing  to  them,  a  recognition  they  did  not  expect, 
and  which  pleased  them  all  the  more.  The  ladies 
present  on  that  occasion  have  often  spoken  of  this 
incident,  and  Mr.  Kirkwood  was  delighted  to  tell 
me  of  it,  as  one  who  knew  you  and  had  visited 
the  resting-place  of  Mr.  Polk.  The  few  ladies  of 
that  crowd  now  living  would  take  pleasure  in 
strewing  flowers  on  Mr.  Polk's  grave,  if  they  were 
near  it." 

Soon  afterward  Dr.  Peschau  delivered  an  address 
before  the  Historical  and  Scientific  Society  of  North 
Carolina,  having  for  his  subject  the  lady  whom  he 
so  much  admired.  A  short  extract  from  this  ad- 
dress is  appended :  — 

•*  Mrs.  Polk  enters,  a  tall,  stately,  graceful  lady. 
With  beaming  countenance  and  dignified  manner, 
she  gives  us  a  welcome  that  is  so  different  from  the 
stiff,  studied  superiority  of  some  would-be-great- 
ones,  that  we  are  at  a  disadvantage  and  she  must 
come  to  our  rescue,  and  she  does.     Such    a    clear 


192  YEAI^S  OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY. 

mind,  such  choice,  chaste  language ;  the  rapid  flow 
of  thought,  the  vivacity  of  expression ;  her  anima- 
tion throughout;  the  quick  wit;  the  rapid  compre- 
hending of  what  is  said,  and  the  ready  answer,  —  all 
interest  us,  charm  us.  Her  knowledge  of  the  times, 
her  recollections  of  the  past,  how  accurate  !  You 
are  in  the  presence  of  a  remarkable  woman.  You 
leave  with  reluctance.  You  feel  you  have  found  a 
true  woman.  Your  heart  will  praise  if  your  lips  do 
not.  You  remember  your  visits,  and  so  does  she. 
She  oft-times  asked  us  as  to  the  welfare  of  those 
who  had  previously  called,  and  sometimes  even 
recalled  their  names  and  some  of  their  remarks. 
She  is  not  like  the  flippant  conversationalists  often 
found,  but  sensible,  thoughtful,  intelligent.  She  does 
not  rest  in  being  admired,  or  seek  to  court  and  call 
forth  your  studied  compliments,  but  loses  herself  in 
her  admiration  of  all  that  Mr.  Polk  did  that  was  noble. 
It  was,  in  our  opinion,  a  wise  Providence  that  per- 
mitted him  to  die,  and  her  to  live.  We  believe  this 
view  will  become  the  verdict  of  unprejudiced  history. 
When  Presidents  settle  down  in  private  life  the 
public  forgets  them.  So  it  would  have  been  with 
Mr.  Polk.  In  a  hundred  ways  his  reputation  could 
be  better  kept  by  his  wife  than  by  himself.  In  hon- 
oring him,  it  was  her  heart's  unselfish,  holy  devotion, 
and  love's  work,  and  no  one  would  censure  her   for 


YEARS  OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY.  1 93 

that  The  various  elements  of  her  well-rounded 
character  have  led  or  helped  to  lead  to  the  laying 
of  a  thousand  wreaths  of  praise  on  the  grave  of 
Polk.  She  outlived  whatever  animosities,  mistakes, 
or  failures  he  may  have  caused  or  made  politically, 
and  her  own  good  name  has  given  lustre  to  the 
name  of  her  noble,  dead  husband,  whose  life  in  so 
many  respects  was  a  model,  and  who  lived  and  died 
a  good  man.  Aback  of  all  the  public  manifestations 
of  her  excellent  character,  we  find  that  all  their 
motive  powers  centre  in  a  Christian  heart.  In  our 
last  interview,  she  spoke  of  her  anticipated  depart- 
ure, as  only  a  Christian  can  speak  of  death,  and 
amid  the  quotation  of  Scripture  verses,  and  the 
expression  of  Christian  sentiments,  she  uttered  the 
following,  which  we  have  used  as  the  basis  of  a  few 
lines  in  poetical  form :  '  Yes,  Dr.  Peschau,  I  'm 
growing  old,  I  grow  old  willingly;  I  grow  old  not 
unwillingly.' 

*'  And  now,  Mr.  President,  I  will  close  with  the 
lines,  — 

"  The  deepening  shades,  the  fading  light, 
The  chilling  air,  proclaim  death's  night ; 
But  through  the  gloom  light  streams  to  me, 
And  I  grow  old  quite  willingly. 

Cho)  lis  :  I  'm  growing  old  quite  willingly, 

Heaven  beckons  me  to  rest  so  free, 
Hence  I  grow  old  quite  willingly. 

13 


94  YEAKS  OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY. 

''  Fair  memory  weaves  its  wreaths  of  gold 
Around  the  days,  the  times  of  old, 
And  brings  glad  childhood  back  to  me. 
Still  1  grow  old  quite  willingly, 

"  A  nation  paved  the  years  with  flowers, 
And  golden  made,  with  praise,  the  hours  ; 
But  honors  great  no  more  charm  me, 
I  xl  rather  grow  old  willingly. 

"  My  strength  now  wanes,  my  step  grows  slow. 
But  love  for  rest  and  Heaven  doth  grow  ; 
I  scarce  can  wait ;  do  not  blame  me 
For  growing  old  so  willingly. 

"  Soon  *t  will  be  o'er,  life's  race  be  run, 
My  duties  all  and  work  be  done; 
Near  him  1  love  I  long  to  be, 
And  grow  old  now  quite  willingly. 

"  Willing  to  live,  willing  to  die, 
I  wait  my  time  from  earth  to  fly,  — 
With  God  and  friends  in  Heaven  to  be  ; 
This  helps  me  grow  old  willingly." 


To  these  verses  Dr.  Peschau  composed  a  simple 
air,  which  is  cheerful  with  an  undertone  of  sadness. 
The  song  is  dedicated  "to  Mrs.  James  K.  Polk,  a 
nation's  favorite."  She  remem.bered  the  conversa- 
tion which  suggested  the  song.  When  she  remarked 
that  she  was  growing  old  cheerfully,  that  she  was 
willing  to  be  old,  he  looked  at  her  intently,  as  if 
impressed  by  her  words,  and  said,  "  Mrs.  Polk,  that 
is  the  poetry  of  Hfe." 


YEARS  OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY.  1 95 

She  often  earnestly  expressed  the  conviction  that 
God  was  taking  care  of  her,  and  leading  her  gently 
down  the  slopes  of  old  age.  She  was  full  of  thank- 
fulness to  the  gracious  Providence  that  had  given 
her  so  many  comforts  and  joys,  and  in  the  midst  of 
attentions  and  adulations  sufficient  to  turn  her  head, 
she  never  forgot  that  all  her  favors  came  from 
above.  Fond  of  social  pleasures,  she  had  always 
been  mindful  of  the  Divine  hand  by  which  she  was 
upheld,  and  was  ready  at  any  moment,  to  sing  from 
the  depths  of  her  heart,  the  old  line,  "  Praise  God 
from  whom  all  blessings  flow."  This  spirit  made 
her  so  cheerful  that  no  one  ever  grew  sad  in  her  pres- 
ence. *'  Why  should  I  feel  sad,"  she  said,  "  when  I 
have  been  blessed  with  so  happy  a  life?  I  am  ready 
to  go,  and  I  am  willing  to  stay." 

She  outlived  nearly  all  her  contemporaries. 
Being  asked,  on  one  occasion,  if  there  were  many 
men  then  living  who  were  in  public  life  when  she 
was  in  Washington,  she  replied,  "  No,  very  few. 
There  is  Gen.  Simon  Cameron,  though.  How  well 
I  remember  him  !  He  came  to  see  me  only  a  feu- 
years  ago.  Seeing  him  was  like  being  carried  back 
to  the  happiest  years  of  my  life,  and  beyond  the 
few  clouds  that  have  come  between  me  and  the 
sunlight,  since  I  left  Washington.  What  a  bright, 
cheerful  man   Mr.  Cameron  is.     If  I  were  a  man   I 


196  YEARS  OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY. 

should  want  to  be  just  as  brisk  and  happy  at  eighty 
as  he  is.  He  will  never  grow  old.  I  always  had  a 
great  regard  for  him.  It  is  a  wonder  how  he  retains 
his  health  and  great  political  power." 

The  following  pen-portrait  is  from  a  correspondent 
of  the  "  Cincinnati  Enquirer:  "  — 

"  It  is  comparatively  easy  to  describe  the  bloom  and 
brilliancy  of  youth,  but  to  draw  with  a  true  touch  the  pecu- 
liar loveliness  of  old  age  is  a  far  more  difficult  task.  A 
woman  like  Mrs.  Polk  is  a  revelation  of  the  beauties  of  old 
age.  Gentle  benevolence,  broad-reaching  charity,  ripe 
experience,  and  a  cultivation  of  mind  that  extends  beyond 
letters  to  mankind,  shine  through  her  conversation,  and  a 
ready  memory,  keen  wit,  and  a  store  of  reminiscences 
illumine  it.  Sixty  years  ago,  at  the  time  of  her  marriage, 
Mrs.  Polk  was  considered  remarkable  for  her  beauty ;  and 
twenty  years  after,  when  she  presided  at  the  White  House, 
it  was  so  fresh  as  to  attract  great  admiration.  Time  has 
stolen  the  vivid  coloring  and  curved  outlines  of  youth,  but 
he  has  not  robbed  her  of  the  dignified  carriage,  and  has 
left  brightness  in  her  eyes  and  vivacity  in  her  voice. 
Crowned  with  eighty  years  of  honor,  she  rose  to  recei\e 
us,  and  I  am  not  ashamed  to  say  that  something  like  dim- 
ness came  over  my  eyes  at  the  sight  of  this  brave  widow, 
who  for  nearly  half  a  century  has  lived  happy  in  the 
thought  that  every  day  as  it  passes  brings  her  one  nearer 
to  her  beloved  husband.  She  has  never  accepted  an  invita- 
tion since  her  husband's  death,  though  with  graceful  hospi- 
tality she  has  received  each  year  the  Tennessee  legislature, 
which  adjourns  in  a  body  to  call  upon  her,  and  which,  I  am 
told,  is  the  highest  compliment  ever  paid  by  State  authori- 


YEAKS   OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY.  1 97 

ties  to  a  lady ;  and  the  civic,  judicial,  and  ecclesiastical 
bodies  make  it  a  point  to  pay  their  respects  to  her.  Above 
the  sofa  on  which  she  sat  hung  a  fine  oil  portrait  of  Mr. 
Polk,  for  which  he  sat  during  his  administration ;  and  near 
it  was  one  of  herself,  taken  lately.  In  it  she  is  dressed  as 
on  the  day  I  saw  her,  but  until  the  picture  caught  my  eye, 
I  had  not  noticed  what  she  wore,  —  the  greatest  compliment 
perfect  taste  can  command.  For  a  lady  of  her  age  and 
position,  nothing  could  be  more  fitting  than  the  simple 
black  dress  with  its  soft  lace  about  the  throat,  and  the  close 
widow's  cap  with  its  snowy  border  and  graceful  veil  of 
black  tulle.  Near  at  hand  was  a  finely  polished  cane,  and 
at  the  head  was  tied  a  double  bow  of  thick  old-gold  ribbon. 
Among  other  things  she  referred  to  was  the  recent  death  of 
Dr.  Gross.  '  It  was  only  two  years  ago  that  he  called  upon 
me,'  she  said,  '  and  we  spent  a  most  pleasant  hour  in  talking 
over  old  times,  and  he  recalled  with  much  animation  a 
party  we  both  attended  fifty  years  ago,  and  he  even  insisted 
he  remembered  the  very  conversation  he  had  with  me.  ■  He 
was  a  great  man,  and  the  news  of  his  death  pained  me 
deeply.  Then,  too,  he  was  one  of  the  few  contemporaries 
left  me.'  In  bidding  farewell,  I  expressed  the  hope  that 
her  life  would  continue  to  flow  on  as  pleasantly  as  now. 
'  Ah,'  she  answered,  with  a  smile  like  soft  sunlight,  '  I  can- 
not be  here  much  longer,  but  I  am  quite  wnlling  to  stay  or 
to  go,  whichever  is  best.  My  life  has  been  very  full,  and 
my  friends  very  devoted.  I  have  nothing  to  ask  for,  and 
much  to  look  forward  to.'  As  we  drove  off,  I  silently  won- 
dered if  any  woman  could  see  that  dignified  and  charming 
widow  without  the  hope  that  she,  too,  might  master  the  art 
of  growing  old  gracefully." 

Governor  Crittenden,   of  Missouri,   with   a   large 
party  of  gentlemen,  called  on  Mrs.  Polk,  and  was 


1 98  YEARS  OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY. 

received  in  the  most  gracious  manner.     He  said  in 
the  *'  St.  Louis  Globe-Democrat:  "  — 

"  She  takes  deep  concern  in  every  movement  in  the 
interest  of  the  South,  and  desires  to  see  it  .prosperous  and 
in  harmony  with  the  progressive  views  of  all  the  States, 
Her  home  is  always  a  charming  visiting  place  for  the  old 
and  young  at  Nashville,  and  for  the  thousands  of  strangers 
who  go  to  that  city.  She  is  a  devoted  Christian,  ever  hav- 
ing a  word  of  cheer  for  the  prosperous,  and  of  consoling 
sympathy  for  those  whose  lives  have  not  fallen  in  such 
pleasant  places.  Her  life  will  go  out  as  gently  and  sweetly 
'  as  dies  the  wave  along  the  shore.'  " 

The  following  conversation  was  had  with  Mrs. 
Polk  by  a  member  of  the  "  Nashville  Banner"  staff, 
and  reported  in  that  paper.  Speaking  of  the  Presi- 
dential election  of  1 844  as  compared  with  that  of 
1884,  she  said :  — 

"  So  many  years  have  elapsed  since  that  event  that  the 
facts  have  almost  faded  from  my  memory ;  and  being  the 
wife  of  one  of  the  parties  most  interested,  the  excitement 
was  kept  far  away  from  me.  At  that  time  our  home  was 
in  Columbia,  a  small  village,  and  we  had  no  railroads  and 
no  telegraphic  system." 

"What  were  the  questions  then  agitated?  Do  you 
remember?" 

"  Oh,  yes.  The  question,  then,  as  now,  was  largely 
about  the  tariff.  In  that  particular,  the  two  canvasses, 
forty  years  apart,  are  very  similar.  Another  point  of  simi- 
larity was  that  without  the  vote  of  New  York,  Mr.  Polk 
could  not  have  been  elected,  and  we  were  naturally  very 
anxious  to   hear  from  that  State.     The  ticket  was   '  Polk 


YEARS   OF  GRACIOUS   HOSPITALITY.  1 99 

and    Dallas,'   and   the    battle-cry   was   '  Polk,   Dallas,    and 
Texas.'  " 
"Texas?" 

"  Yes,  the  acquisition  of  Texas  was  another  issue  of  the 
canvass.  Of  course,  there  were  some  opposed  to  it ;  there 
is  always  somebody  opposed  to  everything.  There  was 
never  another  canvass,  save  perhaps  that  immediately  pre- 
ceding the  war,  that  equalled  it  in  fervor." 

"  Was  there  more  excitement  than  at  the  present  time?  " 
"  All  the  information  I  have  of  the  present  canvass  is 
what  I  glean  from  the  newspapers  and  from  what  my  friends 
tell  me,  and  I  judge  that  the  feeling  now  is  as  a  calm  May 
morning  to  the  turbulent,  restless  storm  of  excitement  in 
those  days.  Every  district  had  its  political  military  com- 
pany of  organized  troops,  which  if  seen  now  would  alarm 
the  people  to  the  verge  of  madness.  Since  the  candidacy 
of  ^[r.  Buchanan  the  canvass  has  always  been  too  one-sided 
to  create  any  excitement,  except  when  Mr.  Tilden  and  Mr. 
Hendricks  were  candidates,  and  perhaps  now.  My  in- 
creasing age  has  toned  down  my  ardor  in  such  matters, 
though  1  always  take  a  deep  interest  in  State  and  national 
affairs.  Even  then  it  was  necessary  to  the  success  of  the 
ticket  to  carry  New  York.  Pennsylvania  was  secured  by 
the  nomination  of  Mr.  George  M.  Dallas  for  Vice-President, 
and  he  carried  his  own  State.  I  regard  the  acquisition  of 
Texas,  and  the  results  following  the  Mexican  war,  that 
is,  the  adding  of  Cahfornia  and  New  Mexico  to  the  terri- 
tory of  the  United  States,  as  among  the  most  important 
events  in  the  history  of  this  country,  and  that  fact  is  becom- 
ing more  and  more  apparent." 

"  Was  the  tariff  the  leading  question  in  that  canvass?  " 
"  That  was   one   of  the  questions  ;  a  tariff  for  revenue 
only  was  what  the  Democrats  desired,  while  the  Whigs  con- 


200  YEARS   OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY. 

tended  that  the  higher  the  tariff  the  cheaper  the  goods. 
Another  question  was  concerning  United  States  banks, 
which  it  was  desired  to  dispense  with  in  favor  of  State 
banks." 

A  large  party  of  editors  of  the  New  England  Press 
Association,  spent  two  days  in  Nashville  in  the 
course  of  their  Southern  tour.  The  "  Lowell  Cit- 
izen," the  next  month,  published  the  following 
paragraphs  descriptive  of  their  visit:  — 

"  Our  party  must  needs  pay  their  respects  to  the  woman 
of  whom  Nashville  is  most  proud,  the  veneral^le  and  ven- 
erated widow  of  President  Polk.  The  broad  mansion,  with 
broad  piazzas  and  stately  columns,  stands  in  the  midst  of 
more  modern,  but  less  home-like  residences,  in  the  heart  of 
the  city.  A  simple  tomb  of  white  marble  breaks  the  green 
of  the  long  lawn.  Within  the  house  we  are  received  by 
ladies  representing  three  generations  of  the  family,  Mrs. 
Polk  herself,  queenly  in  her  dignity,  and  crowned  with  the 
chaplet  of  the  highest  womanhood  ;  Mrs.  Fall,  her  niece ; 
and  Miss  Fall,  her  grand-niece.  Our  visit  was  but  one  of 
many  such  constantly  being  received  by  her,  from  all  of 
which  the  visitors  depart  with  a  renewal  of  their  natural 
belief  in,  and  honor  for,  the  gentle  influence  of  the  sex  she 
so  nobly  represents. 

"The  Rev.  Mr.  Hatch,  of  the  'Hartford  Courant,' thus 
addressed  Mrs.  Polk  in  behalf  of  the  Association  :  '  Honored 
and  venerated  woman  :  The  fame  of  your  distinguished 
hospitality  having  reached  our  ears,  we  have  ventured  to 
visit  your  home  and  offer  to  you  the  tribute  of  our  esteem. 
We  honor  you  for  the  famous  name  you  bear,  and  we  ad- 


YEARS   OF  GRACIOUS  HOSPITALITY.  201 

mire  the  character  that  has  added  new  lustre  to  the  name. 
We  are  a  company  of  New  England  editors.  Were  we 
ianorant  of  your  eminent  place  in  our  country's  history,  we 
should  be  unworthy  the  responsible  position  we  hold.  But 
we  do  know  and  admire.  When  we  remember  your  posi- 
tion in  the  chief  home  of  this  nation,  and  the  dignified  and 
-mceful  bearing  which  has  characterized  your  life  here  in 
all  these  years,  we  are  constrained  to  think  of  you  not  only 
with  the  esteem  of  patriots,  but  also  with  the  tender  love  of 
sons. 

" '  Happy  he 
With  such  a  mother  !  Faith  in  womankind 
Beats  with  his  blood,  and  trust  in  all  things  high 
Comes  easy  to  him.' 

"  '  We  bid  you  adieu.    God  keep  you.    God  bless  you.'  " 


STILL    BELOVED   AND    HONORED. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

I 884-1 89 I. 

\  T  7HEN  the  Phi  Delta  Theta  Society  assembled 
in  convention  at  Nashville  the  members 
called  on  Mrs.  Polk,  who  was  greatly  pleased  to 
meet  so  many  young  men,  and  to  wish  them  all 
honor,  happiness,  and  prosperity.  They  sang  for 
her  some  of  their  lively  fraternity  songs. 

Soon  after,  the  delegates  to  the  meeting  of  the 
National  Grange  and  Patrons  of  Industry  visited 
Polk  Place  in  a  body,  and  spent  a  pleasant  hour 
there. 

During  a  short  stay  in  Nashville  the  Hon. 
Samuel  J.  Randall,  with  his  wife  called  on  Mrs. 
Polk.  "  The  Banner "  gave  an  account  of  this 
visit:  — 

"Mr.  Randall  said  that  it  afforded  Mrs.  Randall  and 
himself  a  great  pleasure  thus  to  meet  face  to  face  the 
widow  of  the  statesman  and  patriot  and  well-beloved 
President,  James  K.  Polk.  She  replied  that  it  was  an 
equal  pleasure  to  have  the  privilege  of  knowing  one  of 
the  foremost  men  of  the  times,  and  the  worthy  successor 


206  STILL  BELOVED   AND   HONORED. 

to  her  own  lamented  husband.  She  expressed  regret  that 
Mr.  Randall  did  not  now  occupy  the  Speaker's  chair; 
adding  that  the  responsibility  and  influence  of  the  Speaker 
of  the  House  was  second  only  to  that  of  the  President 
himself.  '  Indeed,'  she  warmly  said,  '  the  Speaker,  if  the 
proper  person,  and  with  a  correct  idea  of  his  position,  has 
even  more  power  and  influence  over  legislation,  and  in 
directing  the  policy  of  parties,  than  the  President  or  any 
other  public  officer.'  Mr.  Randall  earnestly  replied  that 
the  Speaker's  place  was  indeed  a  most  responsible  one, 
and  a  position  of  such  dignity  and  honor  that  it  raises  a 
man  above  the  possibility  of  doing  wrong,  inspiring  him 
with  high  thoughts  and  broad  views.  He  reminded  her 
of  the  fact  that  her  husband  was  the  only  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  that  was  ever  elected  President 
of  the  United  States." 

In  a  party  of  business  men  from  New  York,  was 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  M.  Field,  in  whose  delightful 
conversation  Mrs.  Polk  was  much  interested.  She 
was  especially  pleased  with  the  remark :  "  Madame, 
when  I  was  travelling  in  Europe,  during  the  Presi- 
dency of  your  husband,  a  letter  of  introduction 
written  for  me  by  him,  gave  me  entrance  into  every 
house  that  I  wished  to  visit."  Mr.  Inman  repre- 
sented the  party  in  an  address  to  Mrs.  Polk,  and 
was  answered  in  her  behalf  by  Mr.  Thomas,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Nashville,  Chattanooga,  and  St.  Louis 
Railway  Company. 

While  on  a  visit  to  Nashville  Senator  John  Sher- 


STILL   BELOVED   AND  HONORED.  20/ 

man  spent  an  hour  in  conversation  with  Mrs.  Polk, 
and  the  interview  was  much  enjoyed  by  them  both. 
He  said  that  though  she  probably  did  not  remem- 
ber seeing  him,  long  ago,  he  had  a  most  happy 
remembrance  of  her,  having  called  on  her  at  the 
White  House  forty  years  before,  during  his  bridal 
tour. 

Early  in  1887  Col.  J.  George  Harris  received  a 
letter  from  his  old  friend,  Mr.  George  Bancroft, 
announcing  his  intention  of  paying  a  visit  to  Mrs. 
Polk.  The  Tennessee  Historical  Society  appointed 
their  President,  Judge  Lea,  with  several  others,  as  a 
committee  to  receive  the  historian.  He  arrived  at 
seven  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  April  i6th,  accom- 
panied by  his  German  valet,  Hermann,  and  was  as 
spirited,  active,  and  keenly  observant  as  though  he 
did  not  bear  the  burdens  of  nearly  eighty-six  years. 
He  retired  to  his  room  at  the  Maxwell  House,  after 
taking  a  light  refreshment ;  but  soon  after  nine 
o'clock,  apparently  unfatigued  by  the  long  journey, 
went  out  with  his  valet  for  a  walk.  Mr.  S.  A.  Cun- 
ningham meeting  him  on  Vine  Street,  conducted 
him  to  Polk  Place.  The  housekeeper  opened  the 
door  in  response  to  Hermann's  touch  of  the  bell, 
and  Mr.  Bancroft  enquired  cautiously  if  Mrs.  Polk 
was  still  in  the  parlor.  Hearing  his  voice,  she  at 
once   appeared   in    the    doorway,  when    he    sprang 


208  STILL  BELOVED   AND  HOXORED. 

forw  ard  with  an  enthusiastic  salutation :  "  Dear 
Mrs.  Polk,  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you  looking  so 
very  well." 

"  I  am  grateful  to  you,  Mr.  Bancroft,  for  coming 
so  far  to  see  us." 

These  two  belong  so  emphatically  to  the  scenes 
of  a  completed  past,  that  this  meeting  in  familiar 
converse  suggests  two  stately  figures  in  an  historic 
picture  stepping  from  the  frame  to  talk  over  the 
life  of  the  olden  time.  The  next  day  was  Sunday 
and  Mr.  Bancroft  occupied  Mrs.  Polk's  pew  in 
church,  although  she  was  unable  to  be  present. 
He  dined  with  her,  and  in  the  quiet  and  freedom 
of  this  hour  of  home  comfort  and  refreshment, 
the  two  old  friends  recalled  many  pleasing  incidents 
of  the  past. 

The  well-known  banker  and  philanthropist,  Mr. 
Corcoran,  had  sent  her  a  letter  by  the  hand  of  his 
friend :  — 

My  dear  Madame,  —  I  have  just  learned  from 
my  friend  and  neighbor,  Mr.  Bancroft,  that  he  in- 
tends to  go  to-morrow  to  Nashville,  on  purpose  to 
see  you,  and  I  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  to 
send  to  you  and  your  sweet  niece  my  best  regards 
and  homage.  Wishing  you  all  health  and  happi- 
ness,  sincerely  yours, 

W.  W.  Corcoran. 


STILL   BELOVED   AND   HONORED.  209 

0\\  Monday  afternoon  Mrs.  Polk  and  Mr.  Ban- 
croft received  the  many  friends  who  came  to  ex- 
press their  esteem  and  regard  for  the  venerable 
hostess  and  her  distinguished  friend.  The  sub- 
dued hum  of  conversation,  the  soft  strains  of  the 
music,  the  mild  light  of  the  wax  candles  in  the 
chandeliers,  and  the  presence  of  Mr.  Bancroft,  no 
doubt  brought  forcibly  to  the  mind  of  Mrs.  Polk 
the  far-off  Washington  days.  The  next  morning's 
*'  American  "  said  :  — 

"The  two  venerable  and  historic  personages  at  first 
stood  together  at  the  south  end  of  the  room ;  the  lady 
however,  soon  took  an  arm-chair  near  by,  but  Mr.  Ban- 
croft remained  standing  throughout  the  reception.  His 
eye  was  bright,  his  form  erect,  his  conversation  quick,  his 
sympathy  responsive,  his  manner  genial.  The  gathering 
included  many  from  neighboring  towns,  and  many  of 
Nashville's  best  citizens." 

One  object  of  Mr.  Bancroft's  visit  was  to  gather 
from  the  papers  of  Mr.  Polk  certain  materials  for 
his  historical  work.  He  made  a  partial  examina- 
tion of  the  manuscripts,  but  many  pressing  invita- 
tions allowed  him  little  leisure  for  his  task,  and  Mrs. 
Polk  consented  to  send  to  him  at  Washington  a 
trunk  filled  with  these  important  documents.  Sev- 
eral months  after  his  return  home,  the  papers  were 
all  copied  and  bound,  ready  for  reference,  and  the 
originals  were  returned  to  Nashville. 

14 


210  STILL   BELOVED   AND   LI  O  NO  RED. 

A  committee  representing  the  Tennessee  Histori- 
cal Society  escorted  Mr.  Bancroft,  on  the  following 
Tuesday,  to  the  Nashville  University,  now  the 
Normal  College.  Entering  the  beautiful  grounds, 
Judge  Lea  pointed  to  a  cluster  of  eleven  trees  that 
he  had  planted  in  memory  of  his  fellow-graduates 
in  the  class  of  1837,  mentioning  after  a  pause,  that 
he  was  the  only  one  then  left.  The  Central  Tennes- 
see College,  and  Fisk  University,  both  for  colored 
students,  received  Mr.  Bancroft  with  outbursts  of 
song,  the  organ  and  orchestra  mingling  with  the 
wild,  yet  sweet  music  of  hundreds  of  negro  voices. 
At  the  Fisk,  Mr.  Bancroft  concluded  his  words  to 
the  students  with  this  sentence:  "Lift  up  your 
hearts ;   rise  in  the  dignity  of  your  souls." 

In  the  evening,  the  rooms  of  the  Historical  So- 
ciety, filled  with  relics  and  curiosities,  and  decorated 
with  historic  portraits,  were  thrown  open  in  honor 
of  the  great  historian.  He  enjoyed  the  social 
greetings  so  thoroughly  that  formal  introductions 
were  not  attempted.  Judge  Lea  stated  that  Mr. 
Bancroft  had  long  been  an  honorary  member  of 
the  Society.  He  referred  to  the  important  part 
Mr.  Bancroft  had  taken  in  the  administration  of  the 
Government,  and  to  the  high  place  he  had  assumed 
and  worthily  held,  through  fifty  years,  as  the  histo- 
rian of  this  western  world.     In  recalling  some  scenes 


STILL   BELOVED   AXD   HONORED.  211 

connected  with  our  revolutionary  struggle,  Judge 
Lea  said  that  many  writers  had  treated  the  battle  of 
King's  Mountain  as  only  a  successful  skirmish, 
while  Mr.  Bancroft  had  shown  it  to  have  been  a 
decisive  battle,  one  of  the  turning-points  of  the 
Revolution.  Then  addressing  Mr.  Bancroft,  he 
continued,  "  You  speak  of  it  as  having  changed 
the  aspect  of  the  war,  as  inspiring  the  soldiers  like 
the  ringing  cry  of  Concord,  as  being  in  its  effects 
like  the  success  at  Bennington.  This  is  a  tribute 
to  the  people  who  afterward  organized  the  State  of 
Tennessee.  Honorable  mention,  too,  you  make  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  Watauga  settlement,  and  a  clear 
statement  is  given  of  the  Scotch-Irish  who  sought 
homes  in  the  western  country,  the  chief  of  whom, 
General  James  Robertson,  the  founder  of  Nashville, 
whose  portrait  is  just  opposite  this  platform,  you 
characterize  as  possessed  of  a  true  nobleness  of 
soul,  intrepid  and  patriotic.  It  is  natural,  therefore, 
that  the  people  of  Nashville  should  recognize  an 
obligation  greater  perhaps  than  you  are  aware,  and 
the  visit  of  no  distinguished  citizen  could  have  been 
to  them  more  acceptable." 

In  response,  Mr.  Bancroft  said  he  was  glad  that 
the  President  of  the  Society  had  spoken  of  him  as  a 
member.  ''  I  stand  here  to-night,"  he  went  on,  "  as 
a  friend  and  a  brother.     Tennessee  can  well  afford 


212  STILL   BELOVED   AND  HONORED. 

to  have  an  historical  society.  Men  of  highest  moral 
character  were  the  pioneers  of  this  section.  I  am 
amazed  at  your  wealth  and  culture.  The  immi- 
grants who  came  here  brought  the  purest  principles, 
and  the  men  of  Tennessee  have  exerted  an  influence 
on  the  habits  of  men  not  only  in  this  country,  but 
throughout  the  world.  Who  was  it  that  said,  *  The 
Union;  it  must  and  shall  be  preserved'?  He  was 
your  fellow-citizen.  The  world  has  not  yet  given 
all  the  honor  that  is  in  store  for  Andrew  Jackson. 
He  will  live  in  sweetest  affection.  I  knew  him  well, 
and  look  on  him  as  second  only  to  George  Wash- 
ington. Nor  need  we  name  him  alone.  I  remem- 
ber with  pride  the  achievements  of  Polk's  adminis- 
tration. I  can  testify  to  the  wonderful  capacity  of 
his  mind."  With  proud  emphasis  he  added,  "  We 
are  one.  May  our  Union  be  founded  on  a  rock.  I 
have  always  turned  to  the  South  with  a  pride  in  her 
integrity  and  patriotism,  no  less  than  to  the  North. 
The  results  of  our  solidified  Union  are  showing 
themselves  in  Europe,  and  will  in  Asia,  and  through- 
out the  world." 

]\Ir.  Bancroft's  last  morning  in  the  city  was  spent 
in  visiting  Belle  Meade,  five  miles  away,  looking  at 
the  fine  blooded  horses,  and  enjoying  the  rare  sight 
of  the  herd  of  beautiful  deer,  roving  in  the  park. 

Among  the  many  newspaper  comments  on  this 


STILL  BELOVED  AND  HOXORED.  213 

notable   visit,    we    quote    only   the    following    from 
the  "  St.  Louis  Republican  :  "  — 

"  The  meeting  between  the  estimable  lady  who  has  been 
an  ex-President's  widow  for  thirty-eight  years,  and  the 
venerable  old  gentleman  who  was  first  her  husband's  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy,  and  afterward  his  minister  to  the  Court 
of  St.  James,  was  most  courtly,  cordial,  and  happy.  The 
days  of  the  Polk  administration  were  an  age  of  courdy 
grace  and  sentiment,  and  in  its  mellow  splendor  neither  of 
them  dreamed  of  the  tragic  four  years  ^itli  llie  following 
era  of  hard  materialism  which  they  have  lived  to  see.  Mr. 
Bancroft  is  well  on  toward  ninety,  and  Mrs.  Polk  is  close 
behind  him." 


In  October  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cleveland  visited  Nash- 
ville, and  were  guests  of  General  Jackson  at  Belle 
Meade.  They  arrived  on  Saturday  night,  and  wish- 
ing to  give  Mrs.  Polk  due  precedence  and  attention 
by  seeing  her  before  the  public  reception  on  Mon- 
day morning,  they  called  on  her  on  Sunday  after- 
noon, desiring  to  make  a  quiet,  informal  visit.  The 
Harding  turnpike  was  thronged  with  the  vehicles  of 
those  who  were  anxious  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the 
President  and  his  wife  as  they  drove  into  the  city; 
and  the  streets  around  Polk  Place  were  filled  with  a 
similarly  expectant  crowd,  who  doffed  their  hats 
and  cheered,  as  the  President's  carriage  drove 
rapidly  by.     Mr.  Fall  met  the  party  at  the  steps  of 


214  STILL  BELOVED   AND  HONORED. 

the  portico,  and  bade  them  welcome.  Mrs.  Polk 
and  the  President  enjoyed  a  free  and  animated  talk 
about  Washington  and  the  Executive  Mansion ; 
and  referring  to  this  conversation  afterward,  she 
said,  **  During  our  talk  we  built  and  rebuilt  the 
White  House."  After  refreshments  had  been  served, 
the  guests  went  to  look  at  the  tomb.  Soon  after- 
ward farewells  were  said,  and  Mrs.  Polk,  leaning 
upon  the  arm  of  ex-Governor  Porter,  went  to  the 
steps  of  the  portico  to  see  the  party  leave.  The 
President  took  off  his  hat  to  the  company  at  the 
door,  his  wife  bowed  good-by,  and  the  carriage  was 
quickly  driven  away,  followed  by  the  cheers  of  the 
assembled  crowds.  This  visit  was  unique.  It 
brought  together  for  a  brief  social  meeting  two 
ladies,  the  elder  of  whom  entered  the  White  House 
as  mistress  in  1845,  and  the  younger  in  1885,  just 
forty  years  afterward,  a  circumstance  never  occur- 
ring before  and  not  likely  to  occur  again. 

In  November,  befoYe  the  assembling  of  the  Na- 
tional Convention  of  the  Woman's  Christian  Tem- 
perance Union  in  Nashville,  their  President,  Miss 
Willard,  paid  a  brief  visit  to  Polk  Place.  It  was 
pleasant  to  see  in  simple,  familiar  converse  these 
tv.'o  women,  the  one  in  middle  life  having  already 
attained  a  world-wide  reputation  by  her  work  with 
voice  and  pen,  and  the  other  venerable  in  years  and 


STILL   BELOVED   AND   HO'NORED.  21$ 

honors,  holding  as  she  had  done  for  half  a  century 
the  unfeigned  affection  of  the  American  people. 
The  two  sat  in  a  tete-a-tete  armchair  with  reverse 
seats,  so  that  they  were  vis-a-vis  as  well  as  side  by 
side.  Mrs.  Polk  remarking  that  she  could  write  a 
letter  as  easily  after  dinner  as  in  the  forenoon,  Miss 
Willard  said  playfully  that  she  was  going  to  tell  her 
mother,  who  was  eighty-three  years  old  and  accus- 
tomed to  write  only  in  the  fresh  morning  hours, 
that  Mrs.  Polk  said  it  made  no  difference,  and  so 
she  might  write  in  the  afternoon  also.  The  ebony 
cane  mounted  with  a  silver  hand-rest  which  Miss 
Fall  had  brought  from  London  for  her  aunt,  was 
Miss  Willard's  special  admiration  and  referring  again 
to  her  mother,  she  said  that  she  had  arranged  hand- 
rests,  little  crutches  she  called  them,  in  various 
parts  of  the  house,  at  the  head  and  foot  of  the 
stair-ways,  and  on  the  landings,  wherever  her 
mother  might  need  help  in  walking. 

About  a  hundred  members  of  the  convention 
called  one  day  at  the  noon  hour,  and  were  intro- 
duced to  Mrs.  Polk.  Many  other  members  of  the 
Union  visited  Polk  Place,  in  groups,  at  odd  times. 
A  delegate  from  New  York  had  brought  her  baby 
to  the  Convention.  She  called  upon  Mrs.  Polk, 
and  said,  waving  her  hand  toward  the  baby  in  the 
nurse's  arms,  ''  Madame,  you   have  seen  the  eldest 


2l6  STILL   BELOVED   AND  HONORED. 

member  of  the  W.  C.  T,  U.  Convention ;  this  is 
the  youngest."  These  visits  were  enjoyed  by  the 
aged  hostess.  *'  If  I  were  younger,"  she  said, 
"  I  would  certainly  attend  your  meetings."  Her 
unquahfied  admiration  was  excited  by  the  un- 
dreamed-of powers  developed  in  woman  by  the 
novel  circumstances  of  modern  times. 

Among  her  visitors,  soon  afterward,  was  the 
sculptor  Valentine,  of  Richmond,  who  had  just 
come  from  the  unveiling  of  his  bronze  statue  of 
John  Cabell  Breckinridge,  at  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky. The  evangelist  Sayford,  of  Boston,  with 
his  quartette,  also  called ;  as  did  Thomas  Nelson 
Page,  who  had  been  entertaining  large  audiences 
with  recitations  from  his  stories  of  Southern  life 
in  that  old  regime  now  fast  receding  into  the  past. 
She  said  to  Mr.  Page  that  the  friends  she  had 
known  many  years  ago,  in  Richmond,  were  all 
dead,  and  that  it  was  very  kind  in  him  to  call  on 
one  who  was  but  a  relic  of  the  past.  To  which 
he  replied,  "  Madame,  you  have  as  many  friends 
in  Richmond  now  as  you  had  in  the  olden  times." 
This  rejoinder  awakened  in  her  heart  the  feeling 
of  gratitude  which  was  so  often  heard  from  her 
lips;  and  she  said:  "I  am  astonished  at  so  much 
attention  being  paid  me,  an  old  woman  on  the 
verge  of  the  grave.     I  recognize  nothing  in  myself; 


STILL  BELOVED   AND  HOiXORED.  21/ 

I  am  only  an  atom  in  the  hands  of  God,  who 
does  it  all."  She  added,  "  My  husband  lived  in 
distinguished  times,  and  all  these  honors  I  take  as 
being  done  for  his  sake,  for  he  is  better  under- 
stood now  than  in  those  days." 

In  the  April  following  Mrs.  Polk  sent  a  telegram 
of  inquiry  as  to  Mr.  Bancroft's  health,  and  received 
this  message  in  response :  — 

I  am  in  most  excellent  health ;  splendid  appe- 
tite, seven  hours  unbroken  sleep  at  night;  and, 
thank  God,  I  have  good  friends  like  you  to  com- 
fort me. 

George  Bancroft. 

Mrs.  Hayes,  of  Baltimore,  the  venerable  President 
of  the  Woman's  Missionary  Societies  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church,  spent  a  quiet  hour  with  Mrs.  Polk. 
She  had  reached  her  seventy-fifth  year  the  day 
before,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  them  both  to  recall 
the  friends  and  incidents  of  the  half-century  just 
passed. 

About  this  time  Miss  Ballentine,  Principal  of 
the  young  women's  department  of  Fisk  University, 
made  herself  known  to  Mrs.  Polk  as  the  daughter 
of  the  Rev.  E.  Ballentine,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Washington  at  the  time  when  President 
Polk  and  his  wife  worshipped  there.     She  received 


2l8  STILL   BELOVED  AXD   HONORED. 

the  daughter  of  her  former  pastor  with  evident 
pleasure,  and  with  many  recollections  of  her  father's 
ministrations.  On  the  eve  of  Mr.  Polk's  retire- 
ment from  office  Mr.  Ballentine  had  presented 
to  him  and  his  wife  a  copy  of  the  Bible,  and 
also  of  "  The  Pilgrim's  Progress."  The  Bible  she 
now  gave  to  his  daughter,  in  affectionate  remem- 
brance of  her  father,  knowing  that  no  one  else 
would  so  prize  a  keepsake  which  had  been  care- 
fully preserved  for  nearly  forty  years.  Miss  Ballen- 
tine said  that  it  should  be  a  precious  heir-loom 
in  her  family,  and  would  now  be  given  to  the 
youngest  son  of  her  youngest  brother,  a  child 
two  years  old,  who  bears  the  name  of  his  grand- 
father. On  the  flyleaf  of  each  had  been  written 
a  letter  of  presentation  in  which  the  pastor  begs 
the  President  and  his  wife  to  accept  the  books 
"  as  proofs  of  his  high  regard,  and  of  his  earnest 
wishes  for  their  temporal  and  eternal  welfare. 
May  the  Bible  be  their  Counsellor  and  Comforter, 
and  the  Progress  of  the  Pilgrim  to  Zion  theirs 
during  their  earthly  lives.  February  24th,  1849." 
It  was  less  than  four  months  after  he  had  left 
Washington,  that  the  astonishing  tidings  of  Mr. 
Polk's  death  flashed  over  the  country;  and  on 
the  24th  of  June,  Mr.  Ballentine  preached  a 
memorial    sermon,    exactly   four    months    from   the 


STILL   BELOVED   AND   HONORED.  219 

date  of  his   inscription    in    the    Bible.     An  extract 
from    this    discourse    may   be   quoted:  — 

"  That  last  Sabbath  of  his  attendance  in  this 
sanctuary  has  by  his  death  become  invested  with 
new  and  affecting  interest.  It  was  the  4th  of 
March,  the  last  day  of  his  Presidency.  His  term 
of  office  commenced  with  a  solemn  oath  in  the 
name  of  his  Maker,  and  closed  while  he  was 
engaged  with  us  in  the  services  of  God's  worship, 
—  certainly  a  sacred,  solemn  moment,  when  the 
holy  employment  might  stimulate  the  sense  of 
accountability,  and  the  desire  of  God's  accept- 
ance, and  excite  to  prayer  in  behalf  of  the  country 
he  loved,  whose  government  he  had  administered 
with  so  much  assiduity,  energy,  and  ability.  We 
remember  with  sad  interest  now  his  retiring  at 
the  close  of  the  services,  from  the  seat  he  had 
so  long  occupied,  and  how  he  gave  the  parting 
hand  to  those  around  him.  It  was  not  without 
deep  emotion  that  he  said  to  an  elder  of  the 
church,  whom  he  met  among  the  last  in  the  aisle, 
as  he  shook  his  hand  and  called  him  by  name,  '  I 
shall  never  worship  with  you  again.'  A  predic- 
tion how  soon  and  sadly  confirmed.  To  her  whom 
this  sudden  stroke  has  deprived  of  the  desire  of 
her  eyes,  w^ho  so  long  and  so  lately  had  a 
place  in  our  sanctuary,  the  savor  of  whose  Chris- 


220  STILL   BELOVED   AND  HONORED. 

tian  character  was  as  ointment  poured  forth  in  the 
exalted  place  she  occupied,  to  her  we  tender  our 
Christian  sympathy,  and  we  pray  that,  according 
to  the  rich  and  sure  promises  of  the  Bible,  God 
may  be    her   God    both    now  and   forever." 

On  one  occasion  the  writers  met  at  Polk  Place 
the  daughter  of  Mr.  Polk's  sister  Ophelia,  now  Mrs. 
Naomi  Hayes  Moore,  and  her  daughter  Ophelia. 
Her  husband,  Major  W.  E.  Moore,  was  chief 
commissary  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  She 
had  shared  with  him  the  hardships  of  war,  early  in 
the  sixties,  and  this  exposure  brought  on  a  throat 
affection,  resulting  in  irremediable  deafness.  Her 
bright,  eager  eyes,  searching  in  the  faces  of  those 
around  her  for  intelligible  signs  of  the  thoughts 
flowing  from  their  lips,  showed  her  mental  vivacity. 
The  daughter,  a  living  illustration  of  filial  devotion, 
busily  employed  her  fair  hands  in  the  graceful 
finger-language,  telling  her  mother  what  was  said, 
and  enabling  her  to  take  a  part  in  the  conversation. 
In  the  awful  railroad  accident  which  occurred  near 
Statesville,  North  Carolina,  in  August,  1891,  Miss 
Ophelia  Moore  was  killed.  A  few  days  afterward, 
a  small  gold  watch  was  found  in  the  wreck.  En- 
graved on  the  back  is  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  Polk 
family,  —  a  wild  boar  pierced  through,  and  four 
bugles,  with  the  motto,  "  audacter  et  strcnuc." 


STILL   BELOVED   AXD   HONORED.  221 

The  4th  of  July,  1888,  was  the  opening  day  of 
the  Cincinnati  Centennial  Exposition,  commem- 
orating the  progress  of  Ohio  and  the  Central 
States  during  the  century.  Mrs.  Polk,  as  the  eldest 
widow  of  an  ex-President,  was  chosen  to  touch 
the  electric  button,  which  was  to  give  the  signal 
to  set  the  vast  machinery  in  motion.  Telegraph 
wires  were  carried  into  her  residence,  and  the 
instruments  placed  upon  the  marble  table  sent 
from  Tunis  in  1849.  ^  score  or  more  of  gentle- 
men were  present  as  invited  guests.  Mr.  J.  U. 
Rust  and  Mr.  A.  H.  Stewart  manipulated  the  wires 
for  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company.  At 
a  quarter  past  eleven  o'clock,  the  following  tele- 
gram was  received :  — 

Centennial  Hall,  Cincinnati,  July  4,  1888. 

Greeting  to  Mrs.  James  K.  Polk:  That  upon 
this  auspicious  moment,  when  heaven  has  smiled 
upon  this  glorious  northwestern  territory,  the  same 
beneficent  providence  has  spared  to  the  citizens  of 
the  United  States  the  wife  of  their  revered  Presi- 
dent, James  K.  Polk. 

James  Allison,  President. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Witherspoon  was  requested  to  read 
the  message  to  the  deeply  interested  group  round 
the  table.     She  replied  immediately,  as  follows : 


222  STILL   BELOVED   AND   HONORED. 

"  Mrs.  Polk  acknowledges  the  courteous  telegram 
just  received,  and  hereby  returns  her  thanks  for  the 
kind  remembrance  of  her  husband  and  herself  upon 
this  memorable  occasion." 

There  is  a  difference  of  twenty-two  minutes  be- 
tween the  two  cities,  Nashville  going  by  standard 
time,  and  Cincinnati  preferring  sun-time;  and  at 
thirty-eight  minutes  past  eleven  o'clock  here,  it 
was  twelve  o'clock  there.  At  this  moment  Mrs. 
Polk  pressed  the  key,  in  response  to  which  came 
this  dispatch :  — 

"  When  Mrs.  Polk  touched  the  key  the  machinery 
started,  bells  rang,  hundreds  of  electric  lights  flashed 
out,  and  the  entire  concourse  of  people  rose  and 
cheered  amid  the  waving  of  flags  and  banners. 
Such  a  thrilling  scene  has  not  been  witnessed  for 
years." 

An  outburst  of  applause  from  the  little  audience 
in  Polk  Place  greeted  the  reading  of  this  message, 
and  the  only  quiet  person  in  the  assembly  was  the 
venerable  lady  who  was  the  centre  of  observation. 
A  gentleman  standing  near  bowed  to  her  and  said, 
*'We  arc  not  going  to  let  you  go  down,  Mrs.  Polk. 
We  v/ill  keep  you  up  by  electricity,  if  by  nothing 
else."  She  received  many  congratulations,  and  re- 
plied to  them  in  the  manner  peculiar  to  herself. 
To  Dr.  Witherspoon  she  said,  "  The  honor  which 


STILL   BELOVED   AND   HONOKED.  223 

has  been  paid  me  does  not  appeal  to  my  pride.  I 
recognize  that  it  is  a  comphment  to  Mr.  Polk,  and 
it  is  one  which  I  appreciate  fully.  Such  tokens  of 
remembrance  of  my  husband,  expressed  through 
kindness  to  me,  have  cheered  me  all  along  to  the 
very  evening  of  life,  and  I  am  deeply  grateful  for 
them." 

The  "  American  "  thus  concludes  a  long  account 
of  this  unique  event :  — 

"The  honor  paid  to  Mrs.  Polk  was  an  honor  to  ihe 
womanhood  of  the  South,  whose  virtues  this  venerable  lady 
embodies,  and  as  such  will  not  easily  be  forgotten." 

During  the  following  year  she  was  much  pleased 
by  the  visit  of  a  group  of  New  York  capitalists, 
among  whom  were  Abram  S.  Hewitt,  Edward 
Cooper,  a  son  of  Peter  Cooper,  and  John  C.  Cal- 
houn, a  descendant  of  the  distinguished  statesman 
whose  full  name  he  bears.  Mrs.  Polk  had  been 
intimately  associated  with  Mr.  Calhoun's  grand- 
parents on  both  sides.  The  stream  of  reminiscence 
awakened  by  the  surprise  and  pleasure  of  seeing 
him  made  her  unusually  bright  and  cheerful.  She 
also  enjoyed  the  conversation  with  Mr.  Hewitt,  en- 
riched by  his  overflowing  fund  of  information  con- 
cerning things  past  as  well  as  present.  "  He  knows 
everything,"  she  said. 


224  STILL   BELOl'ED   AXD   IIOXORED. 

When  the  Rev.  Dr.  H.  M.  Field  passed  through 
Nashville,  on  his  return  from  a  long  sojourn  in 
Florida,  she  sent  special  regards  to  Mr.  Bancroft, 
as  Dr.  Field  intended  staying  several  days  in  Wash- 
ington. Some  time  afterward,  the  following  letter 
came  to  her:  — 

"Mv  DEAR  Mrs.  Polk,  — Yesterday  afternoon, 
in  company  with  my  brother,  Judge  Field,  I  paid 
a  visit  to  Mr.  Bancroft.  We  found  him  in  his  li- 
brary, looking  somewhat  aged,  but  still  bright  with 
all  his  old  fire.  He  was  delighted  to  see  us,  and 
especially  gratified  to  receive  the  message  from 
you,  to  which  he  replied  in  the  warmest  manner, 
saying  that  no  one  since  Mrs.  Washington  had 
filled  the  place  you  occupied  here  with  more  per- 
fect grace  and  dignity,  and  that  you  were  remem- 
bered by  the  older  residents  with  the  utmost  respect 
and  affection.  Nor  was  he  less  ardent  in  his  praise 
of  }-our  husband,  whose  administration  he  pro- 
nounced one  of  the  most  brilliant  in  American 
history.  This  great  distinction,  he  said,  was  due 
to  Mr.  Polk  himself;  that  he  was  not,  like  some 
Presidents,  a  mere  figure-head  of  the  Government, 
to  be  ruled  by  his  Cabinet,  but  that,  while  he  had 
indeed  a  Cabinet  which  comprised  men  of  great 
ability,  yet  that  he  was  the  ablest  of  them  all.     He 


STILL   BELOVED   AND   HONORED.  225 

spoke  of  the  great  events  of  his  administration,  — 
the  Mexican  war,  the  acquisition  of  Texas  and  of 
Cahfornia,  the  latter  bringing  with  it  the  great  em- 
pire on  the  Pacific  coast.  All  this  was  very  high 
praise,  to  come  from  the  historian  of  our  country. 
After  an  hour's  visit  we  could  hardly  tear  ourselves 
from  the  eloquent  old  man,  and  as  we  parted  he 
begged  us  to  send  to  Mrs.  Polk  his  most  affection- 
ate remembrance.  To  this  I  may  add  my  own,  and 
beg  that  you  will  now  and  then  give  a  thought  to 
one  who  considers  it  an  honor  to  be  permitted  to 
call  himself  your  friend." 

In  a  letter  to  a  correspondent  in  Nashville,  Dr. 
Field  said :  — 

"  Will  you  present  my  regards  especially  to  Mrs. 
Polk?  I  wish  you  could  have  heard  Mr.  Bancroft 
speak  of  her,  and  of  her  honored  husband.  Please  tell 
her  that  I  mean  to  come  to  Nashville  again,  if  it 
were  only  to  pay  my  respects  to  her.  How  truly  she 
finds  that  '  at  evening  time  it  shall  be  light.'  So 
may  it  be  until  this  soft  beautiful  twilight  fades  into 
the  light  of  heaven." 

Healy's  portrait  of  Mr.  Polk  was  copied  for  his 
niece,  Mrs.  Barnett,  by  Miss  Zollicoffer  of  Colum- 
bia. This  portrait  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the 
large  tent  in  which  the  Scotch-Irish  Congress  held 

15 


226  STILL   BELOVED   AND   HONORED. 

their  proceedings  in  that  city  in  May,  1889.  Upon 
his  return  from  this  convention,  Colonel  McClure 
of  Philadelphia,  with  his  wife  and  their  party,  called 
upon  Mrs.  Polk.  Referring  to  his  visit  of  several 
years  before,  he  said  that  after  leaving  the  mansion 
he  felt  ashamed  that  he  had  remained  so  long.  So 
engrossed  was  he  in  the  conversation  that  he  was 
beguiled  into  a  longer  stay  than  he  had  intended. 

A  company  of  librarians  from  the  New  England 
States  came  during  this  month,  and  a  brief  eloquent 
address  was  made  to  her  by  Mr.  Justin  Winsor, 
Librarian  of  Harvard  College.  At  its  close  he  and 
his  companions  made  a  bow  in  unison,  the  grace 
and  heartiness  of  which  impressed  her  very  pleas- 
antly. In  the  same  month  a  number  of  Ohio  edi- 
tors, passing  through  Nashville,  paid  their  respects 
to  her.  One  of  this  company,  Mr.  Lewis  Green, 
wrote  thus  of  the  visit:  "At  eleven  o'clock,  our 
party  called  upon  Mrs.  Polk.  Her  welcome  was 
hearty  and  gracious,  and  she  had  a  smile  and  a 
kind  word  for  all.  Probably  no  company  ever 
invaded  the  parlors  of  the  old  mansion,  that  was 
better  pleased  with  their  reception  than  ours." 

During  the  meeting  of  the  American  Medical 
Association  a  large  number  of  physicians,  with 
their  wives  and  friends,  called  on  her.  As  they 
were  presented,  instinctively   a  hand  now  and  then 


STILL   BELOVED   AND   HOXORED.  22/ 

was  offered,  but  was  quickly  and  courteously  put 
back  by  the  cautious  master  of  ceremonies;  for  the 
cordial  custom  of  hand-shaking  was  too  fatiguing  to 
the  cheery  but  feeble  octogenarian.  The  next  day, 
when  she  had  a  visit  from  a  smaller  number  of 
medical  men,  not  present  at  the  former  call,  a  tall, 
spare,  gray-haired  Pennsylvanian  bent  over,  and 
seizing  her  hand,  held  it  while  he  poured  forth  a 
torrent  of  eloquence,  tears  streaming  down  his 
cheeks,  and  as  he  closed,  pressing  his  lips  to  her 
hand.  The  others  looked  on  in  respectful  silence. 
His  emotion  made  a  deep  impression  not  only  on 
Mrs.  Polk,  but  on  all  present. 

On  one  occasion  an  ex-governor  of  Massachu- 
setts pleased  her  greatly  by  the  praise  he  be- 
stowed upon  her  husband,  and  the  important  acts 
of  his  administration.  He  also  said  that  he  had 
been  very  desirous  of  seeing  a  former  resident  of 
the  White  House  about  whom  no  unkind  criticism 
or  complaint  had  ever  been  made.  She  enjo}'ed 
the  interview,  but  smilingly  told  him  that  had  he 
not  been  accompanied  by  her  relative,  Mr.  Child- 
ress, he  would  not  have  gained  an  admittance,  as 
her  feebleness  often  prevented  her  meeting  visitors. 
In  receiving  the  Rev.  Mr.  Miller  of  Princeton,  New 
Jersey,  she  said  she  was  so  weak  that  it  was  only 
the  "  Rev."   before   his   name  that  induced   her   to 


228  STILL   BELOVED   AND  HONORED. 

see  him.  He  commended  her  faithfulness  to  Pres- 
byterian principles,  —  a  faithfulness  without  merit, 
she  thought,  as  it  was  a  part  of  the  warp  and  woof 
of  her  nature,  a  part  of  the  heritage  of  her  fathers. 

Professor  Bourland,  of  the  Peabody  Normal 
School,  escorted  about  fifty  of  the  pupils  to  Polk 
Place.  They  represented  several  southern  States. 
As  she  looked  at  them  she  thought:  **This  is  a  free 
school,  and  who  knows  but  that  some  young  per- 
son now  present  who  has  been  helped  by  kind 
friends  to  come  here  and  get  an  education  may 
some  day  rise  to  power  and  exert  a  wide  influence 
for  good?"  **  This  visit  was  very  agreeable  to  me," 
she  afterward  said  ;  then  raising  her  palm-leaf  fan  to 
her  face,  and  laughing  quietly,  added,  "but  if  they 
had  been  old  politicians  — !  " 

A  young  man  from  North  Carolina  told  her  that 
his  father  was  a  Democrat,  and  had  worked  hard  for 
Mr.  Polk  in  1844,  ^"^^  that  he  had  requested  him 
to  see  Mrs.  Polk,  if  possible,  and  to  convey  to  her 
his  respectful  remembrances.  She  assured  him,  as 
she  had  often  before  assured  college  students  who 
wished  to  ask  questions  concerning  her  husband, 
that  it  made  her  happy  to  talk  about  him.  One  of 
the  students  was  a  young  man  of  fine  proportions, 
who  had  been  engaged  in  some  occupation  on  a 
steamboat,  until  his  desire  for  the  profession  of  a 


STILL   BELOVED  AND  HONORED.  229 

teacher  led  him  to  the  Normal  School.  His  enthu- 
siasm was  aroused  by  the  interview,  and  he  ex- 
claimed when  they  had  left  her  presence,  "  I  never 
felt  so  much  like  being  good  and  doing  good  as 
when  I  saw  her." 


HOME   SCENES   AND   INCIDENTS. 


MRS.    POLK. 

Copy  of  Dniyys    ho'lriiil,  hunted  ni    1878. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

1881-1885. 

'^T^HE  guests  assembled  at  *'  Our  Home  on  the 
J-  Hillside,"  a  summer  resort  at  Dansville,  New 
York,  were  talking  one  day  on  the  engrossing 
theme  of  President  Garfield's  illness,  and  discussing 
the  latest  bulletin  in  the  morning  newspaper.  Re- 
calling various  incidents  connected  with  the  White 
House,  some  one  remembered  that  it  contained  no 
portrait  of  Mrs.  President  Polk.  After  an  animated 
interchange  of  opinion  on  the  subject.  Miss  Frances 
Willard  suggested  that  the  present  occasion  was  a 
fitting  time  to  set  on  foot  an  effort  to  secure  the 
desired  portrait.  Suitable  resolutions  were  adopted 
and  a  committee  composed  of  representative  women 
chosen,  and  empowered  to  carry  out  the  details  of 
the  plan.  The  order  was  given  to  Mr.  Dury  of 
Nashville.  In  due  time  Mrs.  Porter,  the  President 
of  the  Ladies'  Association  at  Nashville,  received  a 
letter  from  Senator  Jackson  in  which  he  announced 
the   arrival  of  the   portrait  at  Washington,  and   its 


234  HOME   SCEXES  AXD   INCIDENTS. 

conveyance  by  himself  and  his  colleague,  Senator 
Harris,  to  the  Executive  Mansion,  where  it  was  to 
be  hung  in  a  place  to  be  designated  by  President 
Arthur.  This  picture  was  a  copy  of  Healy's  por- 
trait, taken  when  Mrs.  Polk  was  mistress  of  the 
White  House.  In  1878,  when  she  was  seventy-five 
years  old,  she  had  sat  to  Mr.  Dury  for  her  portrait, 
and  the  artist  has  well  preserved  her  familiar  feat- 
ures and  bright  expression. 

Her  home,  year  after  year,  grew  richer  in  pic- 
tures and  rare  objects.  In  the  large  hall  near  an 
engraving  of  the  Washington  Monument,  and  of 
the  equestrian  statue  of  General  Jackson,  hung  a 
portrait  of  Mr.  Polk,  painted  by  Healy  for  Judge 
Catron.  After  the  death  of  the  Judge  and  his  wife 
it  had  been  presented  to  Mrs.  Fall  by  Mrs.  Jane 
Marshall,  who  thought  Polk  Place  the  safest  deposi- 
tory for  so  valuable  a  picture.  In  the  dining-room 
were  two  attractive  old  portraits:  one  of  Mrs. 
Childress,  Mrs.  Polk's  mother;  the  other  of  Mrs. 
Jetton,  Mrs.  Fall's  mother.  In  the  east  parlor  was 
a  portrait  of  Mr.  Polk  by  a  Nashville  artist,  Mr. 
William  Cooper ;  while  another  by  his  brother,  Mr. 
Washington  B.  Cooper,  hung  over  the  mantel-piece 
in  Mrs.  Polk's  bedroom.  In  this  homelike  chamber 
was  the  massive  furniture  of  former  days.  An  im- 
mense   four-post    canopied    bedstead     occupied     a 


HOME  SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS.  235 

large  space.  Here  upon  a  centre-table  stood  a 
student's  lamp ;  and  the  books,  papers,  pen,  and 
ink,  were  arranged  in  the  order  which  betokened  a 
habit  of  carefulness.  This  room  was  shared  with 
the  little  niece  Saidee,  when  a  child. 

The  relics,  heirlooms  and  treasures  with  which 
the  house  abounded,  were  assigned  to  one  and  an- 
other of  her  friends,  to  be  delivered  after  her  death. 
Of  this  nearing  event  she  always  spoke  with  as 
much  quietness  as  she  would  of  taking  an  ordinary 
journey.  To  Saidee,  the  pet  of  the  household,  the 
greater  part  of  these  mementos  has  fallen.  Among 
them  is  a  trunk  full  of  the  Paris  dresses  worn  by 
the  President's  wife  on  state  occasions.  Other 
treasures  were  the  heavy  gold  watch,  the  specta- 
cles, pencil-case,  and  pen  used  by  her  husband. 
She  kept  these  with  the  inauguration  Bible  in  a 
box  fashioned  of  dark  wood  ornamented  with  a 
band  of  bird's-eye  maple,  covered  with  a  glass  lid, 
and  fastened  with  a  tiny  lock  and  key.  Red  tissue- 
pa^'er  and  masses  of  white  cotton  concealed  the 
Bible  and  other  reminders  of  pleasant  occupations 
in  the  past.  This  watch  had  belonged  to  an  elder 
brother  of  Mr.  Polk's,  a  handsome,  dashing  young 
man,  v/ho  one  day  took  it  from  his  pocket,  and 
placed  it  in  that  of  his  brother,  saying  that  his 
brother's  watch  was  too  plain.     This    brother  was 


236  HOME   SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS. 

not  twenty-five  years  old  when  he  died,  away  from 
home ;  and  one  of  his  last  messages  was  that  his 
brother  James  should  have  the  watch.  After  Mr, 
Polk's  death  it  was  worn  by  his  brother  William ; 
and  when  he  died,  it  w^as  sent  to  Mrs.  Polk.  Some 
years  before  her  own  death  she  sent  it  to  Tasker, 
a  son  of  William  H.  Polk,  of  North  Carolina. 

During  the  war  Major  William  H.  Polk  and  the 
Hon.  Bailie  Peyton,  of  Tennessee,  went  to  Wash- 
ington, to  confer  with  the  Government  concerning 
an  exchange  of  prisoners.  While  they  were  there, 
an  officer  in  the  Federal  army,  whose  name  is  now 
forgotten,  gave  to  Major  Polk  a  watch  that  he  said 
had  once  belonged  to  General  Washington,  and 
afterward  to  General  Robert  E.  Lee.  Engraved  on 
the  back  was  the  letter  W.  Returning  to  Columbia, 
Major  Polk  handed  it  to  his  wife,  requesting  her,  in 
the  event  of  his  death  before  the  end  of  the  war,  to 
see  that  it  was  returned  to  General  Lee,  or  his 
family.  After  his  death,  not  willing  to  risk  so  valu- 
able a  relic  in  a  passage  through  the  army  from 
Tennessee  to  North  Carolina,  she  took  it  to  Mrs. 
Polk,  asking  her  to  return  it  to  General  Lee.  Im- 
mediately after  the  surrender  Mrs.  William  H.  Polk 
wrote  to  General  Lee  concerning  the  watch.  He 
replied  that  if  it  came  from  the  White  House,  Vir- 
ginia,  or   from    Arlington,    it   was  his   property;    if 


HOME  SCENES  AND   INCIDENTS.  237 

not,  it  did  not  belong  to  him.  Mrs.  Polk  sent  it  on, 
and  as  it  proved  to  be  his,  received  from  him  a 
courteous  letter  of  thanks. 

Early  in  1882  a  bill  appropriating  a  pension  to 
the  venerable  widow  of  ex-President  Polk  was  intro- 
duced in  Congress,  and  ably  advocated  by  Senator 
Jackson  and  his  colleague.  In  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives the  Tennessee  delegation  successfully 
urged  its  passage.  It  was  amended  so  as  to  include 
all  the  widows  of  former  Presidents,  then  living; 
and  the  pension  was  fixed  at  five  thousand  dollars 
per  annum.  The  justice  of  such  an  appropriation 
may  be  better  understood,  in  Mrs.  Polk's  case,  by 
referring  to  an  address  made  by  ex-Governor  Aaron 
V.  Brown  in  the  Democratic  Convention,  in  January, 
1852,  in  the  Capitol  at  Nashville.  Speaking  of  Mr. 
Polk,  he  said,  "  From  yonder  window  you  may  look 
out  on  the  spot  where  lies  entombed  all  that  was 
mortal  of  that  eminent  and  good  man.  But  if  you 
would  contemplate  the  never-dying  principles  which 
he  illustrated  and  adorned,  you  must  extend  your 
view  far  beyond  our  present  horizon.  You  must 
gaze  with  amazement  over  the  whole  area  of  this 
great  continent ;  on  Texas  now  teeming  with  a  con- 
tented population  ;  on  California  and  Oregon  already 
building  up  cities  on  the  distant  shores  of  the  Pacific, 
and  opening  for  us  the  way  to  the  boundless  wealth 


238  HOME   SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS. 

and  commerce  of  the  Asiatic  world.  Never  until 
we  have  taken  a  broad,  national  survey  like  this, 
shall  we  be  prepared  to  pay  homage  to  the  great 
principles  of  Jackson  and  Polk." 

In  a  familiar  conversation  on  the  pension,  Mrs. 
Polk  said,  "I  Ve  often  thought,  if  I  had  a  strip  of 
California  I  would  make  Sallie  rich,  —  and  you  too," 
she  added,  looking  at  a  friend  sitting  beside  her. 
She  helped  many  who  came  to  the  door,  saying  that 
a  little  money  would  at  least  give  them  bread ;  she 
preferred,  however,  to  assist  the  needy  through  the 
Relief  Society  and  similar  associations,  in  order 
that  the  gift  might  be  wisely  dispensed.  But,  to 
use  her  own  w^ords,  she  "  had  no  surplus  to  donate 
to  institutions  of  learning  or  benevolence." 

On  Decoration  Day,  at  the  National  Cemetery 
near  Nashville,  Colonel  House  of  Indianapolis  de- 
livered an  original  poem.  He  visited  Mrs.  Polk 
while  here,  and  after  returning  home,  sent  the 
following  sonnet  to  the  **  Nashville  American:  " 

SERUS  IN  COELUM  REDEAS. 

*'  Dear  lady,  when  life's  day  was  young  and  fair, 
Thine  own  and  country's,  then  tliy  youthful  eyes 
Caught  glow  of  cloudless  light  from  happy  skies. 
Though  thou  hast  stood  within  their  noontide  glare, 
The  fountains  of  thy  heart  were  not  dried  bare  ; 
Nor  when  arose  dense  clouds  of  funeral  dyes, 
And  hope  afar  seemed  clothed  in  sombre  guise, 


HOME  SCEXES  AND  INCIDENTS.  239 

Didst  thou  lose  youthful  heart  or  greet  despair. 
And  as  from  thy  calm  eyes  we  catch  the  gleam 
Of  skies  that  once  o'erarched  life's  flowery  plain, 
The  phantom  Time  fades  from  us  like  a  dream, 
And  comes  the  thought  that,  born  'neath  fairy  reign. 
Thou  found'st  in  days  when  ruled  the  old  regime 
The  fountain  Ponce  de  Leon  sought  in  vain." 

A  few  months  after  Mrs.  Polk's  marriage  in 
January,  1824,  one  of  her  friends  was  visiting  the 
home  of  Mr.  John  Catron,  at  Rokeby,  not  far 
from  where  the  Vanderbilt  University  now  stands. 
This  friend  told  her  that  when  Mr.  Catron  came 
home  one  evening,  he  said  that  he  had  been  asked 
what  sort  of  a  girl  James  K.  Polk  had  married,  and 
that  he  had  replied,  "  Oh,  a  poor,  sickly  thing,  who 
will  not  live  a  year."  He  used  to  repeat  this  inci- 
dent with  much  amusement  long  afterward,  when 
time  had  proved  that  he  was  not  so  well  fitted  to  be 
a  judge  of  feminine  longevity  as  of  the  intricate 
problems  of  the  law.  In  her  old  age,  when  Judge 
Catron  himself  and  all  who  had  heard  the  remark 
were  dead,  she  often  spoke  of  the  impressive  fact 
that  of  all  that  circle  of  friends  she  alone  was 
living. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1883,  she  was  eighty 
years  old.  A  complete  surprise  was  given  her  by 
the  congratulations  of  many  friends.  Some  scores 
of  citizens,  more  or  less  prominent,  paid  their  re- 


240  HOME  SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS. 

spects.  Mrs.  Dr.  Cheatham  sent  a  large  bouquet, 
the  figures  "80"  in  the  centre  made  of  tuberoses 
on  an  ample  background  of  crimson  geraniums, 
the  whole  bordered  with  heHotropes  and  other  deli- 
cate blossoms.  Bouquets  were  also  sent  by  several 
others. 

The  newspapers  on  the   following  morning  con- 
tained these  lines :  — 

Sept.  4,  1S03.  Sept.  4,  1883. 

To  THE  Hon.  Mrs.  James  K.  Polk. 

The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light,  that  shineth 
more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day.  —  Proverbs  iv.  18. 

The  singers  of  the  earth,  with  plaintive  strain, 
That  fills  the  soul  with  sense  of  loss  and  pain, 
Lament  the  course  of  life's  declining  day, 
That  slowly,  surely  leads  to  evening  gray, 
Just  when  high  noon  is  glorious  and  complete. 
And  strength  and  skill  make  every  labor  sweet. 

But  are  they  not  with  partial  view  content  ? 
And,  Madame,  make  they  not  undue  lament? 
They  see  alone  the  body's  sad  decline. 
But  think  not  of  the  spirit's  essence  fine. 
Which  grows  in  wisdom  and  in  beauty  still, 
With  each  experience  of  good  and  ill. 

Thus,  growing  greater  still,  thy  life  appears. 

Seen  through  the  vista  of  these  eighty  years  ; 

Beginning  with  the  maiden's  gentle  ways, 

Compelling  then  the  world's  admiring  gaze, 

And  then,  through  sad  bereavement's  chastening  power, 

Attaining  character's  most  lovely  flower. 


HOME  SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS.  24 1 

Mid  clustering  memories  of  life's  happy  clay, 

Thou  waitest  gladly  in  its  evening  gray, 

With  eyes  of  faith  turned  westward  to  the  sky, 

Behind  whose  rainbow  banners,  towering  high, 

Stand  Heaven's  bright  gates,  which  soon  will  open  wide, 

And  thou  wilt  go  where  life  and  light  abide. 

F.  D.  N. 

From  an  editorial  of  the  *'  American,"  the  same 
day,  the  following  sentences  are  taken:  — 

"  This  country  has  produced  no  statesman  whose  home 
was  happier  than  w^as  that  of  the  great  man  who  sleeps  so 
quietly  while  the  beloved  wife  watches  over  his  grave. 
Through  all  his  conflicts,  and  as  the  tide  of  fortune  carried 
him  up,  she  was  ever  by  his  side.  She  is  well  preserved, 
exceedingly  cheerful  and  bright,  and  is  the  highest  type  of 
a  Christian  woman." 

One  afternoon,  in  the  middle  of  March,  when  we 
called  to  inquire  after  her  health,  and  one  spoke 
of  the  fresh,  green  leaves,  and  the  yellow  spring 
flowers,  looking  like  spots  of  gold,  and  the  purple 
and  pink  hyacinths  on  either  side  of  the  long  walk, 
she  said,  "Are  they  blooming?  The  flowers  and 
I  are  alike,  both  going  downward."  This  was  said 
with  a  smile,  as  if  she  concurred  in  the  wisdom 
of  nature,  which  made  it  necessary  for  her  to  fade 
and  disappear.  Like  the  flowers  that  had  rejoiced 
in  their  free  and  fragrant  life,  so  had  she  rejoiced  in 
hers.  As  we  rose  to  go,  and  spoke  of  the  Immigra- 
tion Committee  guests  of  the  city  who  had  called 

16 


242  HOME  SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS, 

on  her  the  week  before,  she  said  that  she  had  re- 
ceived so  many  calls  of  respect  and  so  many  marks 
of  kindness  that  she  feared  she  was  not  as  appre- 
ciative as  she  wished  to  be.  "  If,  in  my  old  age," 
she  continued,  "  I  can  give  pleasure  to  my  fellow- 
citizens  by  receiving  them,  it  gives  me  pleasure  to 
do  so."  Then  she  resumed,  smilingly,  "  You  know 
a  woman  never  grows  too  old  to  be  indifferent  to 
a  compliment." 

One  day  when  the  June  heat  brought  to  every  one 
a  sense  of  lassitude  she  expressed  a  feeling  of  a  loss 
of  interest  in  public  as  well  as  in  private  affairs,  — 
a  loosening  of  the  links  binding  her  to  the  world  of 
thought  and  action.  Some  one  remarked  that  prob- 
ably the  feeling  was  owing  to  a  lessening  of  her 
physical  strength.  A  moment  after,  however,  she 
began  to  dwell  with  evident  interest  upon  the  merits 
of  the  candidates  for  the  presidency.  And  when 
one  of  the  group,  changing  the  subject,  mentioned 
the  recent  elaborate  celebration  of  the  six  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  charming  of  the  children  of 
Hamelin  by  the  Pied  Piper,  she  remarked  w^th  ani- 
mation that,  both  in  Europe  and  in  America,  much 
more  attention  than  formerly  was  now  paid  to 
historical  incidents,  and  to  the  gathering  of  data  for 
history  and  biography.  Then  with  a  little  glow  of 
animation  she  continued  :   "  The  journals  of  the  day 


HOME   SCENES  AXD  INCIDENTS.  243 

contain  many  interesting  historical  references,  and 
it  would  be  pleasant  to  read  them  if  it  were  not  for 
the  flaming  head-lines  of  dreadful  deeds  just  com- 
mitted that  deface  almost  every  column." 

Admiring  the   striking   and    popular   sermons   of 

Dr. ,  she  said  that   in  the  judgment  of  former 

days,  his  excellence  would  have  been  marred  by  his 
peculiarities.  "  How  the  times  have  changed  !  "  she 
exclaimed;  "but  it  is  necessary  for  every  one  to 
advance  with  the  times,  so  that  the  generation  pass- 
ing away  may  not  be  too  widely  separated  from 
the  one  just  arising.  When  our  church  was  trying 
to  find  a  suitable  pastor,"  she  continued,  "  some  one 
asked  me  what  my  choice  was.  *  I  have  no  choice 
to  make,'  I  replied.  'What!  consult  an  old  lady 
about  the  selection  of  a  minister?  It  is  not  to  old 
ladies  that  the  minister  comes  to  preach.  It  is  his 
chief  calling  to  gather  the  young  in,  and  to  interest 
them  that  they  may  become  Christians.  I  could  sit 
at  home,  and  read  a  sermon,  and  do  very  well.  It 
is  the  young  people  who  must  be  pleased  in  the 
choice  of  a  minister.'  " 

The  conversation  drifting  to  the  subject  of  relig- 
ious newspapers,  her  opinion  was  that  they  draw 
us  too  much  away  from  the  Bible.  The  various 
beautiful  lives  of  Christ,  and  the  multitude  of  relig- 
ious publications  satisfied  us,  she  thought,  and  con- 


244  HOME  SCENES  AND   INCIDENTS. 

sumed  the  hours  that  ought  to  be  spent  in  reading 
chapter  after  chapter  of  the  Divine  Oracles. 

Speaking  one  day  of  the  religious  movements  of 
the  time,  mention  was  made  of  a  recent  series  of 
meetings  of  ladies  for  Scripture-study  and  prayer, 
which  had  attracted  much  attention  in  the  city. 
Miss  G.  had  begun  a  little  meeting  of  a  few  friends 
for  prayer  and  Bible-study,  which  soon  grew  to  large 
proportions,  filling  the  double  parlors  of  her  father's 
house.  Replying  to  a  remark  concerning  this  un- 
usual manifestation  of  interest  in  spiritual  themes, 
Mrs.  Polk  said:  "I  have  always  believed  in  prayer, 
and  I  believe  in  it  still.  I  told  Miss  G.  that  if  I 
were  younger  and  stronger,  I  too  would  go  to  her 
meetings.  Let  the  ladies  pray,  and  if  they  think 
any  sickness  they  have  may  be  cured  by  prayer,  it 
is  a  beautiful  faith.  I  have  often  prayed  for  such 
things,  and  whenever  I  have  failed  to  get  the  desired 
answer,  my  faith  was  only  strengthened,  because  I 
considered  that  my  prayer  might  not  have  been 
made  in  the  right  spirit  or  at  the  right  time,  and 
that  another  time  my  desire  might  be  granted." 

Her  mind  reverting  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Henderson, 
who  had  officiated  at  her  marriage,  she  said  that  in 
those  old  times  he  once  preached  a  sermon  in  the 
Court  House  in  Nashville,  to  the  few  Presbyte- 
rians living  in  the  city,  who  had  then  no  house  of 


HOME  SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS.  245 

public  worship.  He  spoke  strongly  against  duel- 
ling, which  in  those  days  was  a  not  infrequent  oc- 
currence, and  enlarged  upon  its  sin  and  evil  con- 
sequences. To  the  dismay  of  his  friends,  General 
Jackson  sat  among  the  auditors,  —  whether  known  or 
not  to  the  preacher  declaiming  so  earnestly  against 
one  of  his  practices,  they  could  not  tell.  He  was 
aware,  however,  that  the  general  would  certainly 
hear  of  the  sermon.  The  next  morning,  while  the 
good  friends  were  still  trembling  for  Mr.  Henderson, 
supposing  that  he  had  incurred  the  wrath  of  the 
fiery  soldier,  the  general  had  already  visited  a  tailor 
and  ordered  for  the  minister  the  finest  suit  of  clothes 
that  could  be  made  ! 

When  any  one  presumed  that  the  inquiries  of 
strangers  concerning  Mr.  Polk's  life  would  become 
monotonous,  or  be  deemed  an  intrusion  upon  the 
sacredness  of  her  gravest  memories,  she  would 
reply:  "  I  feel  an  exquisite  pleasure  in  giving  infor- 
mation, especially  to  young  men,  concerning  his 
public  and  private  life,  for  of  course  I  deem  it  a  life 
eminently  worthy  of  emulation.  Not  long  ago,  a 
number  of  college  students  called  upon  me.  In  the 
course  of  a  most  agreeable  conversation  I  observed 
that  some  of  the  young  gentlemen  hesitated  to 
make  inquiries  for  certain  information  of  a  some- 
what  personal   nature    concerning    Mr.   Polk's   life. 


246  HOME  SCENES  AND   INCIDENTS. 

Anticipating  their  wishes,  I  told  them  that  nothing 
dehghted  me  more  than  to  resurrect  these  long- 
ago  facts,  and  thus  contribute  to  the  happiness  of 
others." 

She  said  that  during  Mr.  Polk's  lifetime  she  often 
had  a  delicacy  in  repeating  compliments  paid  to 
him,  but  that  now  she  did  so  without  scruple.  She 
had  a  natural  reluctance  to  any  conversation  about 
her  own  experiences,  and  it  was  difficult  to  draw 
from  her  the  information  essential  to  a  faithful  story 
of  her  life. 

Many  letters  came  to  her  from  strangers,  making 
divers  requests  :  that  she  would  join  a  certain  praise- 
worthy society;  that  she  w^ould  contribute  to  this 
or  that  deserving  object;  that  she  would  give  items 
of  information  regarding  some  one  she  had  known 
sixty  years  ago;  that  she  would  grant  the  favor  of 
a  few  pieces  for  a  crazy  quilt,  etc.,  etc.  Every  day 
or  two  brought  applications  for  her  autograph. 
Kindness  and  courtesy  impelled  her  to  comply  with 
these  appeals  as  far  as  possible,  but  in  her  later 
years  many  of  them  were,  of  necessity,  indefinitely 
postponed.  Until  the  last  months  of  life  her  eyes 
were  good,  and  she  used  them  to  her  heart's  con- 
tent in  the  luxury  of  reading.  She  could  still  read 
large  print  with  unaided  sight,  and  would  sometimes 
look   over   her   letters,   and   pen   one   or   two   short 


HOME  SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS.  247 

answers,  before  putting  on  her  glasses ;  and  would 
often  express  a  profound  gratitude  for  the  long-con- 
tinued gift  of  strong  and  clear  vision.  While  the 
feebleness  of  advanced  age  made  walking  some- 
what difficult,  she  was  still  animated  in  manner  and 
bright  in  conversation,  showing  the  ready  tact  and 
wit  of  former  times.  She  was  obliged  to  excuse 
herself  to  many  callers,  but  those  who  saw  her 
found  her  still  so  young  and  fresh  in  her  interest 
and  sympathy  that  it  seemed  strange  to  hear  her 
speak  of  the  impossibihty  of  keeping  up  the  corres- 
pondence and  the  social  habits  of  other  days.  Her 
interest  in  the  newspapers  was  a  never-failing  source 
of  pleasure.  Her  insight  into  the  hidden  springs  of 
action  and  change  in  national  and  local  affairs  was 
remarkable,  when  it  is  considered  that  for  nearly 
two-score  years  she  had  lived  continuously  in  the 
retirement  of  her  quiet  home. 


REMINISCENCES. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

1885-1891. 

/^NE  day  Mrs.  Polk  told  us  that  in  the  first 
^-^  year  of  Mr.  Polk's  presidency  she  went,  as 
she  often  did,  to  take  Mrs.  Madison  for  a  drive. 
The  servant  returned  to  the  carriage  with  the  mes- 
sage that  Mrs.  Madison  was  engaged  with  company, 
and  that  she  wished  Mrs.  Polk  would  come  in.  En- 
tering the  parlor,  she  found  a  group  of  ladies  with 
whom  she  had  interchanged  visits  when  her  hus- 
band was  a  member  of  Congress.  They  immedi- 
ately began  to  complain  playfully  that  she  did  not 
return  their  calls,  saying,  "Now,  Mrs.  Polk,  we 
have  you  before  Mrs.  Madison,  and  we  are  going 
to  try  you.  Now,  Mrs.  Madison,  we  leave  it  to 
you ;  don't  you  think  so  young  a  lady  as  Mrs.  Polk 
ought  to  return  visits,  and  come  to  see  us  as  she 
used  to  do?  Did  you  not  return  calls  and  make 
visits  when  you  were  in  the  White  House?" 
**  Yes,  my  children,  I  did,"  said  the  venerable 
widow;  ''but  one  parlor  would  then  contain  all 
who    came    to     my    receptions.       How    could     the 


252  KEMhVISCENCES 

people  come  to  Washington  in  those  days?  There 
were  no  raih'oads,  and  there  were  stage-Hnes  only 
from  New  York  and  Baltimore  and  Richmond. 
There  were  even  no  turnpikes.  And  the  people 
would  not  come  in  their  carriages.  Now  there  are 
so  many  people  in  the  city  that  it  is  an  impossi- 
bility to  return  the  calls  that  are  made  on  the 
President's  household." 

Mrs.  Polk  said,  *'  I  gave  up  the  custom  of  return- 
ing calls,  because  it  soon  became  plain  to  me  that  1 
could  not  visit  without  making  discriminations,  and 
that  would  inevitably  give  offence." 

A  gentleman,  in  talking  with  her  of  his  parents 
whom  she  had  known  forty  years  before,  asked  how 
it  was  that  we  so  seldom  in  these  days  meet  with 
persons  like  them,  eminent  for  intelligence  and  re- 
finement. "  It  is,"  she  replied,  *'  because  of  the 
great  diffusion,  in  the  present  time,  of  education 
and  knowledge,  and  the  universal  advancement  of 
the  country.  Everybody  knows  more,  and  there 
are  therefore  fewer  persons  eminent  for  knowledge 
and  cultivation.  Many  years  ago  it  was  only  the 
rich  who  could  be  educated,  and  therefore  there 
were  comparatively  few  eligible  to  office  and  politi- 
cal appointment.  They  continued  for  years  in  offt- 
cial  position  because  through  experience  they  be- 
came thoroughly  conversant  with  their  duties,  and 


REMINISCENCES.  253 

were  fully  competent  to  discharge  them.  As  a 
rule,  they  were  also  men  of  sound  principles  and 
integrity.  Now,  men  are  more  generally  compe- 
tent to  hold  office,  and  more  easily  get  into  places 
of  honor  and  trust,  and,"  she  added,  *'  they  are 
more  easily  turned  out  by  others.  And,  some- 
how, many  men  are  not  governed  by  the  upright, 
stern  principles  of  former  days." 

A  few  days  before  Christmas,  1885,  we  saw  her 
in  her  own  room.  Some  one  had  asked  for  infor- 
mation from  her  concerning  Mr.  Polk's  conduct  of 
the  Mexican  war,  and  she  was  beginning  to  make 
notes  of  what  she  could  recall. 

A  friend  had  sent  her  a  wood-cut,  clipped  from  a 
newspaper,  of  the  log  house,  near  Charlotte,  North 
Carolina,  in  which  her  husband  was  born.  It  was  a 
fac-simile  of  the  primitive  abodes  in  which  so  many 
noted  persons  began  life.  The  picture  was  lying  in 
a  large  copy  of  the  New  Testament  and  Psalms 
which  rested  on  the  broad  arm  of  her  easy-chair. 
Looking  with  interest  into  the  well-worn  volume, 
one  of  us  read  some  of  the  marked  passages.  She 
spoke  of  the  pleasure  the  sacred  writings  gave  her, 
and  said,  **  Did  you  ever  notice  the  correspondence 
between  the  ninetieth  and  the  ninety-first  Psalms? 
The  latter  seems,  verse  by  verse,  to  answer  the 
former." 


54 


RE  MI  A  'ISCEiYCES. 


Referring  to  her  husband's  abstemiousness  and 
the  hard  work  which  had  cut  short  his  Hfe,  she  said 
that  she  herself  was  in  the  habit  of  eating  but  httle. 
When  the  kindness  of  her  nieces  and  the  attentiveness 
of  her  servants  pressed  her  to  partake  more  freely, 
she  told  them  that  she  was  satisfied,  and  that  it  was 
unseemly  for  one  who  was  waiting  for  her  last  order 
to  be  thinking  of  eating  and  drinking.  Then,  with 
a  burst  of  feeling,  she  exclaimed,  "  My  whole  heart 
is  a  thank-offering;  and  I  am  ready  to  go  when  the 
mandate  comes."  Smilingly  she  spoke  of  having 
attended  church  after  a  long  enforced  absence, 
and  of  the  good  sermon  of  her  pastor,  Dr.  Wither- 
spoon,  from  the  text,  "  And  the  door  was  shut." 
She  was  impressed  with  the  beautiful  singing,  in 
which  her  young  niece  took  part.  She  said  that  in 
this  country  and  in  Europe  there  were  clergymen 
of  ability  and  education  who,  in  the  perhaps  uncon- 
scious desire  to  show  their  learning,  had  lost  the 
guidance  of  faith,  and  were  confused  in  the  laby- 
rinth of  error.  On  one  occasion,  when  seated  at  a 
diplomatic  dinner  at  the  White  House,  and  attended 
by  M.  de  Bodisco,  the  eldest  foreign  representative, 
she  spoke  of  having  been  present  at  a  certain  relig- 
ious service.  The  Russian  ambassador,  who  of 
course  was  a  member  of  the  Greek  Church,  said  to 
her,  "Why  did  you  go  to  hear  that  man,  Madame? 


REMINISCENCES.  255 

Why  do  you  care  to  hear  a  man  tell  of  things  that 
you  can  learn  without  him,  and  that  you  know 
as  well  as  he  does?"  She  replied  simply  with 
the  question,  "  What  do  you  do  in  your  church, 
Mr.  Bodisco?"  "We  go  to  church,  Madame,  to 
worship." 

She  was  much  grieved  by  the  tragic  death  of  Mrs. 
Pendleton,  of  Ohio,  who  was  thrown  from  her  car- 
riage in  Central  Park,  New  York,  and  instantly 
killed.  Mrs.  Pendleton  was  the  daughter  of  Francis 
Scott  Key,  and  Mrs.  Polk  recalled  her  friendship 
with  the  writer  of  our  grand  national  hymn.  He 
used  often  to  visit  Representative  Polk  and  his  w^ife, 
in  their  boarding-house;  and  the  ladies  of  the 
house  would  say  to  her,  **  I  get  tired  of  staying  in 
the  parlor  so  long,  but  I  wish  very  much  to  see 
*  Star-Spangled  Banner;  '  do  please  let  me  know  in 
some  way  when  he  comes." 

The  marriage  of  President  Cleveland  called  forth  a 
brief  letter  of  congratulation.  Accompanying  the 
modest  announcement  of  the  wedding  of  "  Mr.  Grover 
Cleveland  and  Miss  Frances  Folsom,"  she  received  a 
piece  of  the  wedding-cake,  wrapped  in  silver  paper 
and  lace,  and  enclosed  in  a  little  white  satin  box  on 
wdiich,  in  gilt  letters,  was  the  date  of  the  auspicious 
event,  and  a  card  bearing  the  autographs  of  the 
bride  and  bridegroom. 


256  REMINISCENCES. 

One  evening  in  August  Mrs.  Polk  told  us  an  In- 
cident in  her  early  married  life,  when  she  and  her 
husband  were  travelling  from  Columbia  to  Murfrees- 
borough.  They  went  In  their  own  carriage,  and  the 
route  lay  through  Franklin  and  Triune.  The  rains 
had  been  heavy  and  the  rivers  and  creeks  were  high. 
About  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  Franklin  they  came 
to  a  creek  so  dangerous  to  ford  that  they  hesitated. 
While  considering  what  to  do,  a  man  approached 
them  from  a  long  lane  opening  into  the  road,  and 
with  cordial  salutations  advised  them  not  to  attempt 
a  passage  of  the  turbulent  waters,  and  presslngly 
invited  them  to  wait  at  his  house  near  by  until  they 
could  proceed  safely  on  their  journey.  He  was  a 
wealthy  farmer,  and  their  stay  with  his  family  from 
Friday  until  Monday  was  remembered  as  a  pleasant 
episode  in  their  changeful  lives.  One  of  the  daugh- 
ters was  a  mute,  and  she  took  a  fancy  to  a  bead 
reticule  carried  by  Mrs.  Polk  according  to  the  cus- 
tom of  that  day.  She  would  gaze  at  it,  and  drawing 
near,  would  point  out  the  vari-colored  flowers  to 
the  others,  and  talk  rapidly  to  them  in  signs  and 
finger-language.  Just  before  leaving,  Mrs.  Polk 
took  her  handkerchief  and  purse  out  of  the  bag, 
and  smoothing  the  ribbons,  and  wrapping  it  in  a 
piece  of  paper,  she  presented  it  to  the  young  girl. 
Her  delight  was  enthusiastic,  and  she  spelled  out  this 


REMINISCENCES.  257 

sentence,  which  was  interpreted  to  the  gentle  and 
gracious  guest,  *'  I  will  pray  for  you." 

In  the  summer  of  1887  Miss  Fall  went  to  Europe 
with  a  few  friends.  Frequent  letters  from  abroad 
enabled  Mrs.  Polk,  from  her  loop-hole  of  retreat, 
to  see  many  interesting  scenes  in  the  old  world, 
through  the  eyes  of  her  niece. 

Speaking  one  day  of  the  great  change  in  public 
sentiment  regarding  the  respectability  of  labor,  now 
nearly  the  opposite  of  what  it  was  forty  years  ago, 
she  said:  '*  It  is  beautiful  to  see  how  women  are 
supporting  themselves,  and  how  those  who  go  for- 
ward independently  in  various  callings  are  re- 
spected and  admired  for  their  energy  and  industry. 
It  is  now  considered  proper  for  young  ladies,  when 
they  leave  school,  to  teach  or  to  do  something  else 
for  themselves.  It  was  not  so  in  my  young  days. 
When  we  were  in  Washington  an  estimable  lady, 
who  with  her  husband  successfully  conducted  a 
large  school,  was  invited  to  visit  us  at  the  White 
House,  with  her  pupils.  She  said  to  me,  *  Mrs. 
Folk,  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  ever  been  invited 
to  the  White  House  !  '  Though  a  woman  of  culture 
and  high  character,  her  occupation  of  school-teach- 
ing barred  her  from  social  equality." 

Whenever  she  was  not  able  to  attend  the  public 
celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  she  read  the  Scrip- 

17 


258  REMINISCENCES. 

ture  passages  referring  to  the  Supper,  and  the  beau- 
tiful Episcopal  service  in  the  prayer-book.  Show- 
ing us  a  small  volume  for  daily  devotions,  called  "  The 
Watches,"  she  said  that  Bishop  Otey  gave  it  to 
her  a  few  weeks  after  Mr.  Polk's  death.  It  was 
marked  and  underscored,  and  much  worn  with  use, 
and  had  been  re-bound.  She  said  the  Psalms  were 
a  great  delight  to  her,  and  the  day  seemed  incom- 
plete when  she  had  failed  to  read  one  or  more  of 
them. 

In  July,  1888,  a  telegram  in  the  morning  paper 
announced  the  death  of  Rev.  Dr.  Riddle,  who  had 
been  pastor  of  a  church  in  Pittsburg  for  fifty  years. 
This  brought  to  Mrs.  Polk's  remembrance  a  Sab- 
bath she  had  long  ago  spent  in  that  city.  The  rain 
was  pouring,  and  Mr.  Polk  thought  the  day  too  in- 
clement for  her  to  go  out.  Mr.  Campbell,  of  Al- 
bany, who  was  travelling  with  them,  proposed  to 
order  a  carriage,  but  she  declined.  However,  when 
the  hour  arrived  he  was  at  the  door,  and  they  drove 
to  the  church  together  and  had  the  pleasure  of 
hearing  Dr.  Riddle  preach. 

Dr.  Rubey,  of  Clinton,  Missouri,  wrote  to  Mrs. 
Polk  concerning  the  authorship  of  an  anonymous 
book  presented  to  him  some  years  before  by  Judge 
Caruthers,  of  Lebanon,  Tennessee.  It  is  a  small 
muslin-bound     volume    entitled     "  Monterey    Con- 


KEMINISCENCES.  259 

quered,"  published  in  New  York,  in  1852.  It  is 
an  epic  poem,  with  Roman  names  distinguishing 
the  American  characters,  reminding  one  of  the 
fashion  formerly  followed  by  sculptors  of  disguising 
modern  statesmen  in  the  Roman  toga.  It  contains 
some  fine  passages  and  beautiful  similes,  and  is 
pervaded  by  a  lofty  spirit,  not  always  equalled  by 
grace  of  expression.  President  Polk,  General 
Taylor,  General  Scott,  and  others  prominent  in  the 
stirring  scenes  of  the  Mexican  war,  are  the  principal 
figures;  and  fictitious  events  and  characters  are 
mingled  with  the  real,  after  the  manner  of  historical 
romancists.  She  had  no  recollection  of  the  volume 
or  of  its  author. 

On  one  rainy  Saturday  she  brought  out  a  gilded 
morocco  case,  within  which,  on  a  red  velvet  lining 
dulled  with  age,  lay  a  costly  fan,  saying  that  Gen- 
eral Pillow  had  presented  it  to  her  at  the  close  of 
the  Mexican  war.  The  pearl  strips  of  the  handle, 
gleaming  with  soft  opaline  tints,  were  ornamented 
with  open-work  and  gilding.  "It  is  too  heavy  for 
use,"  she  said.  *'  I  carried  it  only  on  state  occa- 
sions." Not  long  afterward  she  gave  to  a  daughter 
of  General  Pillow's  this  beautiful  remembrance  of 
her  father. 

From  her  home  in  St.  Louis,  Mrs.  Dr.  Brown 
wrote  thus  to  a  friend  in  Nashville :  — 


260  REMINISCENCES. 

**  Ask  Mrs.  Polk  if  she  remembers  their  ride  from 
Washington,  Pennsylvania,  to  Brownsville,  in  a 
stage-coach,  on  the  way  to  the  White  House,  when 
her  husband  was  to  become  the  President  of  the 
United  States ;  and  if  she  recalls  a  little  black-eyed 
school-girl  who  by  mistake  had  seated  herself  in 
the  decorated  presidential  coach  —  large  as  life. 
When  the  President  and  his  wdfe  were  handed  in 
she  wished  to  vacate,  as  she  saw  the  gravity  of  her 
mistake,  but  dear  Mrs.  Polk  said,  *  No,  keep  your 
seat.'  When  the  stage  stopped  for  dinner  Mrs. 
Polk,  out  of  the  kindness  of  that  generous  heart  of 
hers,  said,  *  You  are  our  guest,  and  will  dine  with 
us.'  That  little  girl  has  never  forgotten  the  gracious 
treatment  bestowed  upon  her  on  that  day,  and  only 
a  few  weeks  ago  was  telling  it  all  over;  and  now  I 
tell  it  to  you,  and  you  must  tell  it  to  Mrs.  Polk. 
That  little  girl  is  my  own  dear  cousin,  and  bears  my 
mother's  name.  Her  father  w-as  a  Whig,  but  that 
did  not  interfere  with  her  enjoyment;  to  be  the 
guest  of  President  Polk  and  his  wife  was  a  great 
honor,  with  which  party  had  nothing  to  do." 

When  Mrs.  Polk  was  eighty-six  years  old,  she 
received  the  following  remembrance :  — 

Washington,  September,  1S89. 
My  dear  Mrs.  Polk,  — Your  birthday  returns, 
and    your    friends    are    happy    in    your   continued 


J^EMIN/SCENCES.  26 1 

health  and  enjoyment  of  hfe.  As  the  oldest  of 
them,  and  as  one  who,  if  spared,  will  in  a  few  days 
enter  on  his  ninetieth  year,  I  congratulate  you  on 
your  health  and  vigor.  May  the  coming  year  be 
one  of  perfect  health  and  happiness  to  you  ;  you 
hold  the  affectionate  regard  of  your  country,  and 
the  esteem  and  best  wishes  of  a  nation  minister 
to  your  length  of  days  better  than  all  the  efforts  and 
care  of  the  men  of  the  healing  art  can  do.  There 
is  a  constant  refreshment  of  life  in  enjoying  the 
highest  esteem  and  regard  of  a  free  people,  who 
elected  your  husband  to  be  their  chief,  and  who  en- 
abled him  to  fill  his  years  of  office  with  the  greatest 
deeds.  Live  long,  that  you  may  more  and  more  see 
the  astonishing  results  of  his  administrative  genius. 
Count  me  ever  as  one  of  the  most  earnest  of  your 
friends,  —  perhaps  the  truest  as  the  oldest  of  them 
all.  Ever  with  affectionate  respect, 
Your  devoted  friend, 

George  Bancroft. 

Speaking  of  her  refusal  to  give  to  friends  letters 
of  recommendation  for  office,  addressed  to  the 
President,  she  said  she  had  always  declined  the 
repeated  requests  for  such  letters.  She  reasoned 
that  should  she  give  such  a  recommendation,  and 
the  applicant  for  office  be  successful,   it  would  be 


262  REMINISCENCES. 

heralded  over  the  country  that  she  was  now  med- 
dling with  poHtics.  This  would  not  only  increase 
the  number  of  such  applications,  but  would  have 
the  effect  of  making  her  recommendations  annoy- 
ing, and  render  her  liable  to  the  loss  of  whatever 
influence  she  might  possess.  "  Besides,"  she  said, 
"  in  my  opinion,  it  is  undignified  to  make  such 
solicitations;  and  in  scores  of  cases  I  have  politely 
declined  to  do  what  old  friends  and  acquaintances 
have  urgently  asked.  I  have  maintained  this  posi- 
tion through  all  the  years  from  1849  to  the  present 
time,  though  it  was  often  painful  to  refuse  valued 
friends." 

Few  indeed  have  been  the  women  who  continued 
to  receive  poetical  tributes  after  passing  the  allotted 
bound  of  three-score  years  and  ten.  Christmas 
Day,  1889,  brought  her  an  acrostic-sonnet  from 
General  McAdoo,  of  Knoxville.  In  the  note  ac- 
companying it  he  wrote,  "  Its  prime  commenda- 
tion is  that  it  truly  expresses  my  feelings  toward 
you." 

TO  THE  ILLUSTRIOUS  MRS.  EX-rRESIDENT  POLK. 

Loved  relict  of  our  nation's  ruler  pure, 
Oh,  bless  thee  that  thy  life  hath  spanned  the  years. 
Vexed  not  by  time's  decline,  and  still  appears 
Exalted  toward  fame's  summit  yet  more  sure  I 
Deep-graven  history  shall  through  time  endure  ; 


(XlX^^nr^^  't^  A.<-(.c^,  f~^:>f  •^•'^ "■'^'^7 


^' 


REMINISCENCES.  263 

So  with  thy  noble  husband's  rule  long  years 
All  impotent  defies  ;  and  ceaseless  cheers 

Rewards  shall  to  his  deathless  fame  assure  ! 

As  Helena,  illustrious,  in  bright  glow, 

Her  sunset  years  enjoyed  when  her  great  son. 
Proud  Constanline,  proclaimed  that  Christ  is  King. 

Oh,  ever  thus  thy  vigor  pleaseth  so  ! 

Life's  mortal  still  is  blest ;  and  when  all 's  done, 

Kings  no  translation  loftier  can  show  ! 

Referring  often  to  the  friends  who  had  ever  been 
ready  to  advise  and  assist  her  in  business  affairs, 
she  mentioned  many  names  with  grateful  regard. 
Her  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Anson  Nelson  began 
when  he  was  the  tax  collector  of  the  city,  before 
the  Civil  War.  Judge  Catron  urged  her  to  consult 
him  about  her  financial  affairs.  *'  He  told  me,"  she 
said,  "  that  I  needed  some  prudent  adviser  who 
could  be  seen  at  anytime;  and  as  ]\Iajor  Graham 
had  removed  to  the  country,  and  he  himself  was 
away  from  Nashville  more  than  half  the  time,  hold- 
ing court  in  other  States,  it  was  necessary  to  have 
other  advisers.  So,  at  my  request,  Mr.  Nelson 
called  to  see  me  regularly  once  a  week.  During 
the  war,  when  no  business  advice  was  needed,  he 
w-as  accustomed  to  call  on  Sunday  afternoons, 
and  has  kept  up  the  habit  ever  since,  to  my 
gratification." 

Through  the  winter  of  1 889- 1890,  we  were  re- 
ceived in  her  own  room.     She  always  took  part  in 


264  REMINISCENCES. 

the  conversation,  and  was  specially  interested  in 
all  that  related  to  the  old  days.  Her  thoughts 
seemed  to  be  gradually  weaned  from  subjects  that 
liad  long  interested  her,  —  even  from  politics.  Oc- 
casionally a  little  flicker  of  enthusiasm  for  some 
man  or  some  measure  would  flare,  and  then  she 
would  sigh  and  say,  "  I  don't  care  for  these  things. 
Why  should  I?  I  am  astonished  at  myself  that  I 
am  here,  when  nearly  all  the  friends  of  my  younger 
days  are  gone."  She  would  then  repeat  with  evi- 
dent pleasure  some  incident  of  the  former  times, 
thus  pleasing  her  visitors  as  well  as  herself. 

One  day  she  said  that  years  ago,  w^hile  there  was 
sitting  with  her  a  lady  of  high  integrity  and  of  an 
intelligence  above  the  average,  yet  of  such  stern 
and  strict  candor  that  by  many  her  friendship  was 
dreaded  rather  than  enjoyed,  several  gentlemen 
were  announced.  These  visitors  were  eminent  men, 
lawyers,  judges,  preachers,  and  the  spokesman  a 
scientist  of  repute,  but  somewhat  peculiar  in  his 
personal  appearance.  When  they  had  taken  their 
departure  this  lady  asked  her,  "  V/hy  do  you  re- 
ceive visits  from  those  men?  And  why  do  you 
wish  to  talk  to  a  man  who  is  filled  with  vanity, 
pride,  and  ambition?  It  is  unbecoming  a  Christian 
to  do  so."  **  Mrs.  Blank,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  have 
never    sought   anything   for    myself.     I   have    been 


KEMIiVISCEXCES.  26$ 

placed  where  I  am  by  a  higher  power;  for  the  Bible 
says,  *  Promotion  cometh  neither  from  the  east,  nor 
from  the  west,  nor  from  the  south.  But  God  is 
the  judge ;  He  putteth  down  one,  and  setteth  up 
another.'  And  if  I  did  not  accept  the  visits  of 
professional  men,  ministers  of  the  gospel,  as  well 
as  others,  it  would  be  a  pretence  of  being  a  bet- 
ter Christian  woman  than  I  am."  To  this  reply, 
from  her  own  standpoint,  the  lady  could  offer  no 
objection. 

The  day  before  her  eighty-seventh  birthday  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Whitsitt  thus  wrote  to  a  mutual  friend 
concerning  his  kinswoman:  "It  is  matter  of  re- 
joicing that  her  health  and  spirits  are  so  fine,  at 
her  advanced  age.  I  trust  that  she  will  be  spared 
yet  many  years.  Her  lively  religious  hope  has 
been  a  strong  comfort  to  her,  and  it  has  often 
edified  me  to  hear  her  speak  of  the  value  she  set 
upon  the  prospects  of  a  higher  w'orld.  In  this 
whole  w^orld  there  are  not  many  such  elevated 
and  noble  characters.  I  honor  her  without  any 
reserve." 

During  this  summer  Mrs.  Polk  received  from 
Mrs.  ex-Governor  Perry  of  South  Carolina,  a  niece 
of  Gen.  Robert  Y.  Hayne,  several  volumes  which 
contained  valuable  writings  of  her  deceased  hus- 
band.     Benjamin    Franklin    Perry  was    Provisional 


266  REMINISCENCES. 

Governor  of  South  Carolina  in  1865.  There  was 
no  organized  government  in  the  State  at  the  time, 
and  no  legal  protection  for  life,  liberty,  or  property. 
Although  the  claims  of  several  other  prominent 
citizens  were  presented  to  President  Johnson,  he 
saw  proper  to  appoint  Mr.  Perry.  At  the  close  oi 
the  year  the  State  government  was  re  organized. 
The  correspondence  between  Mrs.  Polk  and.  I\Irs. 
Perry,  carried  on  for  the  former  by  the  hand  of  a 
friend,  was  interesting  to  the  two  widows  whose 
husbands  had  taken  so  active  a  part  in  the  affairs 
of  their  country. 

When  a  letter  announced  that  Mrs.  Polk  had 
been  elected  an  honorary  vice-president  of  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  she  ac- 
cepted  the  compliment  with  appreciation  and 
pleasure,  —  ''extremely  grateful,"  she  said,  "to  be 
associated  with  such  an  order." 

New  Year's  Day,  1891,  brought  a  pleasant  greet- 
ing from  an  old  and  tried  friend :  — 

Lealand,  Jan.  i,  1S91. 

Mrs.  James  K.  Polk:  Dear  Madame,  — The 
weather  is  so  inclement  that  I  have  to  deprive 
myself  of  the  very  great  pleasure  of  paying  to 
you  my  annual  visit,  but  I  send  my  greetings  and 
give    to    you    all    the    good  wishes   of  the    season. 


REMINISCENCES.  267 

For  more  than  the  length  of  years  allotted  to  the 
average  life  of  man  or  woman,  on  the  anniv^ersary 
of  this  day,  with  scarcely  a  single  omission,  have 
I  visited  your  hospitable  home ;  and  though  absent 
on  this  occasion,  I  beg  that  you  will  consider  me 
as  one  of  the  numerous  friends  who  will  call  to  pay 
to  you  their  respects.  Sidney  Smith  says,  "One  is 
all  the  happier  for  having  once  been  happy,"  and 
judging  by  that  standard,  who  more  blessed  than 
you,  or  who  more  grateful  for  the  blessing?  Your 
life,  dear  Madame,  has  been  dimmed  only  by  a 
single  cloud,  only  one  real  grief,  and  that  comes 
sooner  or  later  to  every  household ;  death  enters 
every  hovel  and  every  palace.  All  else  with  you 
has  been  only  what  heart  could  wish,  —  honor,  re- 
spect, and  "  troops  of  friends."  May  blessings 
always  accompany  you,  and,  though  aged,  may  you 
yet  linger  many  years  above  the  horizon ;  such  is 
my  greeting.     Very  sincerely, 

John  M.  Lea. 

Judge  Lea's  father,  Luke  Lea,  was  in  Congress 
with  Mr.  Polk,  and  on  one  of  their  returns  home- 
ward Mr.  Lea  prevailed  upon  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk 
to  rest  at  his  country  home  at  Campbell's  Station, 
fifteen    miles    west    of    Knoxville.      This    mansion, 


268  REMINISCENCES. 

situated  on  a  high  hill,  and  shaded  with  grand 
old  trees,  commanded  a  wide  and  beautiful  pros- 
pect. When  Mr.  Polk  died,  in  1849,  Judge  Lea 
was  ma}'or  of  Nashville.  Interments  within  city 
limits  were  not  allowed,  except  by  special  per- 
m-ission,  and  Mrs.  Polk  sent  to  him  to  obtain  the 
necessary  order  to  build  the  tomb  on  her  own 
grounds.  Instead  of  sending  a  messenger,  or  a 
letter,  he  came  himself,  and  kindly  and  courteously 
offered  his  services,  while  granting  the  desired 
permission  in  the  name  of  the  city. 

On  the  17th  of  January  George  Bancroft  passed 
away,  in  his  ninety-first  year.  Standing  herself  so 
near  the  boundary  of  life,  her  affections  naturally 
turned  from  the  past,  and  became  fixed  more  and 
more  upon  the  future  now  lying  just  beyond.  She 
was  not  therefore  deeply  moved  by  the  earthly  loss 
of  this  true  friend  of  well-nigh  half  a  century. 

It  gave  her  pleasure  to  receive  about  this  time  a 
poem  entitled,  *'  Reminiscences  of  the  Polk  Man- 
sion," written  by  Mrs.  C,  of  Massachusetts.  This 
lady  had  been  an  invalid  for  nineteen  years,  and 
wrote  the  lines  in  her  sick  chamber,  knowing  Polk 
Place  only  through  the  medium  of  a  newspaper  arti- 
cle describing  a  visit  to  that  interesting  house. 

In   March   Mrs.  Polk   had  a  severe   illness,   from 


REMIXISCENCES.  269 

which,  however,  she  recovered  in  a  few  weeks.  Her 
moderation  in  all  things,  her  quiet  contentment,  and 
above  all,  her  habitual  submission  to  the  Divine 
will,  contributed  to  an  early  restoration  which  was  a 
surprise  to  all.  With  her  wonted  spirit  of  serenity, 
she  said  that  she  was  not  half  grateful  enough  for 
the  goodness  which  had  been  showered  upon  her 
all  her  life.  She  also  spoke  of  her  light-hearted 
happiness,  freedom  from  care,  and  exemption  from 
severe  disciphne,  and  quoted  various  passages  from 
her  favorite  Psalms.  She  said  that  she  had  not 
cared  for  society  life,  and  had  not  entered  its 
charmed  circle  in  Nashville.  *'  No,  Madame,"  it 
was  returned,  "  you  have  gone  out  only  to  church." 
"Yes,"  she  replied,  **  and  received  the  visits  of  those 
who  came  to  honor  the  character  of  my  husband, 
which  was  very  great.  I  have  not  sought  anything. 
I  have  not  travelled.  I  have  remained  at  home, 
and  received  what  came  to  me.  And  I  am  satisfied 
with  it,  and  am  not  anxious  for  anything  more. 
I  am  content  now  to  be  the  old  woman  declining 
in  life,  and  waiting  the  Almighty's  orders,  and  to 
accept  His  way  of  directing  my  days.  God  is  good. 
I  am  thankful.     My  heart  is  filled  with  joy." 

Concerning  the  approaching  nuptials  of  her 
young  niece,  she  remarked,  "  Saidee  wishes  to  be 
married   at   home ;    and   she  says  that  if  I  am  not 


270  REMINISCENCES. 

able  to  witness  the  ceremony  in  the  parlor  she 
will  be  married  right  here  at  my  bedside."  The 
marriage  took  place  on  the  twelfth  of  May.  It 
was  a  brilliant  home  wedding,  in  the  large  parlor, 
and   Mrs.  Polk  was  present. 


THE    PEACEFUL   AND    TRIUM- 
PHANT  END.    - 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


A  LTHOUGH  growing  feebler  day  after  day, 
-^^-  and  disinclined  even  to  the  slight  exertion 
of  getting  into  a  carriage,  nevertheless,  in  the 
sultry  August  weather  Mrs.  Polk  rode  out  three 
afternoons  in  succession.  On  returning  home  on 
Wednesday,  the  I2th  of  August,  she  sat  a  little 
while  in  her  accustomed  place  in  the  hall,  talking 
with  the  family  in  her  usual  bright  strain.  As 
she  went  to  her  room,  leaning  on  her  servant's 
arm,  her  strength  suddenly  failed.  She  seem.ed 
very  ill,  and  immediately  lay  down,  instead  of 
partaking  of  the  supper  which  had  been  spread 
for  her  on  a  little  table  beside  her  easy-chair. 
The  next  morning  the  family  were  at  first  greatly 
encouraged,  believing  her  to  be  much  better.  But 
it  was  soon  evident  that  the  wonderful  vitality 
was  ebbing  away.  There  were  intervals  of  suffer- 
ing throughout  the  day,  and  the  succeeding  night. 
Life  was  now  surely  going  out.     On  Friday  morn- 

i8 


2/4      ^-^-^  PEACEFUL   AND    TRIUMPHANT  END. 

ing,  just  before  daybreak,  the  doctors  who  had 
been  in  attendance  upon  her  were  hastily  sum- 
moned. As  one  of  them  entered  the  room  he 
informed  the  family  that  the  end  was  very  near. 
She  said  to  her  niece,  **  Sallie,  if  you  will  let 
me  turn  over,  I  will  try  to  get  a  little  sleep." 
Mrs.  Fall,  who  was  kneeling  by  the  bedside,  re- 
plied in  trembling  tones,  '*  Aunt  Sarah,  the  last 
long  sleep,  for  which  you  have  been  waiting,  is 
very  near.  That  is  the  sleep  which  will  soon 
come  to  refresh  you."  She  looked  at  her  niece 
quietly  as  these  words  fell  from  her  lips,  but 
seemed  a  little  surprised  that  the  departure  she 
had  been  expecting  daily  for  many  years  had  at 
last  come  with  so  brief  a  warning.  Then  she 
said,  in  the  calm,  clear  voice  familiar  and  dear 
to  them  all,  "  Well,  I  am  ready.  I  am  willing 
to  go.  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow  !  " 
Mrs.  Fall,  bending  over  her,  said,  ''  Darling,  do 
you  love  me?"  "I  do,  I  do,"  was  the  emphatic 
response.  "  We  have  lived  together  a  long  time, 
peacefully  and  happily."  Then,  softly,  distinctly, 
earnestly,  she  repeated  the  words  of  thankful 
submission  and  joyous  praise  which  had  so  long 
dwelt  in  her  heart,  and  ever  ready  to  break  forth. 
She  reiterated  her  unshaken  trust  in  God,  quoting 
the   passages   of  Scripture  that  had   sustained   her 


THE   PEACEFUL   AND    TRIUMPHANT  END.     275 

hope;  and  also  began  to  repeat  certain  lines  from 
her  favorite  hymn,  "  I  would  not  live  ahvay." 
This  outflow  of  feeling  continued  but  for  a  little 
while,  as  her  strength  was  waning  every  moment. 
But  the  strong,  beautiful  intellect  remained  un- 
dimmed.  It  w^as  nearly  seven  o'clock  when,  plac- 
ing upon  her  niece's  head  the  soft  hands,  now 
cold  "with  the  chill  of  approaching  death,  she  pro- 
nounced a  blessing  which  seemed  like  the  benedic- 
tion of  a  bishop :  "  The  Lord  bless  thee,  and  keep 
thee,  and  make  His  face  shine  upon  thee,  and  give 
thee  happiness  and  love  and  everlasting  peace !  " 

It  was  her  last  utterance.  She  lay  quite  still, 
breathing  naturally.  A  slight  sound  came  from 
her  lips,  and  the  name  "  Sallie  "  was  feebly  whis- 
pered, but  nothing  further  could  be  understood. 
As  the  clock  in  the  hall  struck  half-past  seven, 
the  faint  breath  ceased,  and  she  passed  into  the 
Better  Country. 

In  the  absence  of  her  pastor,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Witherspoon,  the  Rev.  Mr.  McNeilly  had  been 
sent  for.  Living  a  little  distance  from  the  city, 
he  did  not  reach  Polk  Place  until  the  spirit  had 
taken  its  flight. 

The  flags  on  the  State  and  Federal  buildings 
were  placed  at  half-mast;  and  the  solemn  tolling 
of  the  bells  of  the  city,  stroke  after  stroke,  in  slow 


2/6      THE  PEACEFUL   AND    TRICMPHANT  EXD. 

succession,  gave  expression  to  the  sorrow  of  the 
community  among  whom  had  hved  for  nearly  half 
a  century  this  stately  woman  of  the  olden  time. 

Mr.  B.  G.  Wood,  the  president  of  the  local 
Association  of  Mexican  Veterans,  wrote :  "  We 
are  anxious  to  pay  our  last  respects  to  the  noble 
woman  who  presided  at  the  White  House  while 
we  were  in  the  service  of  our  country  in  a  foreign 
nation,  and  her  husband  was  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  our  army  and  navy.  Mrs.  Polk  has  been 
the  idol  of  the  veterans  for  many  years,  and  they 
always  met  a  hearty  greeting  from  her." 

The  "  American "  in  its  next  issue  voiced  the 
general  sentiment:  — 

"  All  the  people  of  Tennessee  grieve  as  the  news  goes 
forth  that  Mrs.  James  K.  Polk  is  dead.  Full  of  years 
and  of  honors,  rich  in  the  devotion  and  tender  affection 
of  her  household,  and  in  the  deep  and  universal  esteem 
of  Tennesseans,  the  end  of  life  came  peacefully,  —  not 
as  to  one  whom  the  infirmities  of  age  and  the  forgetful- 
ness  of  friends  has  made  weary  of  the  world,  but  as  to  one 
blessed  in  all  earthly  surroundings,  and  blessed  in  the  sub- 
lime serenity  of  a  Christian's  faith.  Conscious  of  the 
waning  vitality  which  warned  her  of  the  approach  of 
death,  she  has  waited  for  the  summons  with  cheerfulness 
and  patience.  It  is  needless  to  dwell  upon  the  charac- 
ter of  Mrs.  Polk,  —  the  intellectual  mind  undimmed  to 
the  end,  the  unfailing  gentleness  which  continued  to  the 
close,    the   loyal   heart   which   cherished   to   the   last   the 


THE   PEACEFUL   AND    TRIUMPHANT  END.      2/7 

memory  of  the  great  man  whose  life  was  blessed  with  her 
constant  devotion  and  faithful  help.  It  is  a  positive 
blessing  to  this  generation  that  this  noble  woman  was 
spared  to  bring  to  bear  upon  it  the  beautiful  character- 
istics and  the  splendid  mental  and  heart  training  which 
were  hers  in  a  measure  that  can  be  said  of  few  women. 
The  South  will  for  generations  to  come  recall  proudly 
her  memory  and  point  with  profound  pride  to  hei 
career." 

The   following  letter  was    sent  from  the  Execu- 
tiv^e    office    at   the   State    House:  — 

Nashville,  Aug.  14. 

To  THE  Family  and  Friends  of  Mrs.  Sarah 
Childress  Polk  : 
On  the  part  of  the  State  of  Tennessee,  I  desire 
to  extend  sympathy  in  this  bereavement.  '  I  feel 
that  not  only  the  State,  but  the  nation,  has  sus- 
tained a  loss  in  the  death  of  so  refined,  so  cultured, 
so  noble  a  woman  as  Mrs.  Polk,  the  widow  of 
one  of  Tennessee's  greatest,  best-beloved  sons  and 
the  nation's  most  exalted  chieftains,  James  K. 
Polk.  She  has  stood  a  peer  among  the  women 
of  the  land,  a  perfect  type  of  the  gentle  woman- 
hood of  the  old  South,  and  her  influence  will 
live  forever.  The  State  of  Tennessee  will  hold  no 
spot  more  hallowed  than  that  which  has  the 
honor  to  contain  the  remains  of  this  distinguished 
son    and    his    gentle   wife,    and    will    ever   give    all 


2'jZ      THE  PEACEFUL   AND    TRIUMPHANT  END. 

honor    to    their    memory..     With    great    respect,    I 

beg    leave    to     subscribe     myself    your     obedient 

servant, 

John  P.   Buchanan,  Governor. 

Adjutant-General  Norman  proffered  the  family 
a  military  escort  and  guard,  which  was  courteously 
and  gratefully  declined,  in  compliance  with  Mrs. 
Polk's  desire  for  perfect  simplicity  in  the  funeral 
services. 

The  body  lay  in  the  chamber  where  she  had 
slept  for  two  and  forty  years,  her  niece  saying  that 
she  could  not  let  it  be  carried  into  the  lonely 
parlor.  In  accordance  with  Mrs.  Polk's  request, 
a  white  silk  winding-sheet  was  wrapped  about 
her,  similar  to  the  one  in  which  her  husband  was 
buried.  The  sweet,  dignified  features  bore  an  ex- 
pression of  peace  and  rest.  It  seemed  as  if  she 
had  just  fallen  asleep  and  would  soon  waken  and 
speak  again. 

Telegrams  continued  to  come  in  for  several  days 
from  all  parts  of  the  country.  One  was  sent  by 
Judge  Lea,  from  Maine,  where  he  was  sojourning: 
"  The  death  of  Mrs.  Polk  removes  from  me  a  life- 
time friend.  Deeply  do  I,  and  deeply  does  Tennes- 
see sympathize  with  her  afflicted  family."  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Witherspoon,  absent  in  Washington,  sent 
the  following:    "  Have  just  heard  of  your  sorrow. 


THE   PEACEFUL   AXD    TRIUMPHANT  END.     279 

Accept  my  profound  sympathy."  The  Hon.  James 
D.  Richardson,  a  member  of  Congress  from  Tennes- 
see, telegraphed  from  Minneapohs  to  Capt.  John 
W.  Childress:  "Please  tender  assurances  of  my 
sympathy  to  the  family  of  Mrs.  Polk.  I  would 
attend  burial  if  physically  able."  Colonel  McClure, 
of  Philadelphia,  sent  the  following:  **  Mrs.  McClure 
joins  me  in  sincerest  expressions  of  sorrow  at  the 
announcement  of  Mrs.  Polk's  death.  Her  memory 
will  ever  be  enshrined  in  the  country's  love."  A 
cablegram  from  London  brought  "  Sympathy !  " 
from  the  Hon.  Thomas  D,  Craighead  and  Dr. 
William  L.  Nichol. 

The  city  press  gave  details  of  the  event,  full  of 
pathetic  interest.     ''  The  Daily  Herald  "  said  :  — 

"  No  stress  is  laid  upon  the  magnificence  of  the  flowers ; 
but  the  small  posy  of  delicate,  old-fashioned  blooms, 
which  Miss  Thomas  (an  aged  and  life-long  friend)  brought 
in  her  own  hands,  was  given  the  place  of  highest  honor 
within  the  still  white  clasp  of  those  hands  which  have 
never  known  but  to  do  good.  The  great  stone  doors  of 
the  tomb  shall  close  upon  the  quaint  cluster  of  flowers 
modestly  and  sweetly  adorning  the  great  lady's  hands,  and 
the  token  shall  be  eternal. 

"  One  of  the  most  beautiful  stories  which  comes  to  light 
in  connection  with  the  death  is  the  attachment  of  the  ven- 
erable Anson  Nelson  and  his  wife  to  the  lady  whose  hus- 
band figured  so  prominently  in  the  stirring  political  scenes 
which  made  memorable  the  earlier  days  of  his  residence 


280      THE   PEACEFUL   AND    TRIUMPHANT  END. 

here.  It  has  long  been  their  custom  to  visit  her  every 
Sabbath  afternoon,  and  to  engage  in  an  hour  of  Christian 
conversation.  When  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  see 
her,  they  proved  their  constant  devotion  by  writing  a  letter 
to  her  upon  the  subjects  nearest  their  hearts.  And  when 
the  news  reached  them  that  the  friend  of  so  many  years 
had  passed  away,  they  immediately  left  their  brother's  home 
in  Asheville,  North  Carolina,  and  with  heavy  hearts  hastened 
upon  a  journey  which  meant  such  a  sad  ending  to  them 
of  ties  faithfully  cherished." 

Mr.  Cornelius,  who  had  charge  of  the  funeral, 
performed  the  same  service  for  Mr.  Polk,  forty-two 
years  before.  It  was  thought  that  Sunday  morning 
was  "  the  sweetest  time,"  and  the  last  sad  rites 
therefore  took  place  at  nine  o'clock  on  that  day. 
An  old  lady  from  the  country,  who  came  early,  said 
as  she  looked  into  the  large  south  parlor  where  the 
flower-designs  were  grouped  about  the  casket  in 
rich  profusion,  '*  This  is  not  a  funeral.  This  looks 
like  heaven."  Many  persons  came  from  the  adja- 
cent towns  and  counties,  and  from  all  classes  of 
society,  the  poor  and  humble  and  obscure,  as  well 
as  the  wealthy  and  prominent.  The  services  were 
conducted  by  Rev.  Dr.  Price,  of  the  Presbyterian 
University  at  Clarksville,  assisted  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Steel,  pastor  of  the  McKendree  Methodist  Church, 
and  the  Rev.  J.  H.  McNeilly.  After  prayer  and 
Scripture-reading,  and  the  singing  of  several  hymns, 


THE  PEACEFUL   AND    TRIUMPHANT  END.      28 1 

one  of  which  was  her  favorite,  "  I  would  not  Hve 
ahvay,"  Mr.  McNeilly  deHvered  a  beautiful  and  ap- 
propriate discourse.  He  had  examined  Mrs.  Polk's 
daily  companions,  the  "Watches."  and  the  New 
Testament  which  lay  on  the  broad  arm  of  her  easy- 
chair,  and  from  the  marked  passages  therein  had 
formed  a  just  estimate  of  her  spiritual  life  and 
character. 

Among  the  pall-bearers  were  four  elders  of  her 
own  church,  and  Colonel  Claiborne,  who  was  a 
bearer  at  the  ex-President's  funeral  in  1849.  The 
procession  passed  from  the  hCuse  to  the  tomb,  and 
the  casket  was  lowered  into  the  vault,  and  placed 
beside  the  casket  of  her  husband.  After  prayer 
and  a  benediction,  the  family  and  friends  withdrew, 
and  the  multitude  had  an  opportunity  to  pass  and 
look  into  the  tomb.  During  all  the  services  the 
city  bells  were  tolling  a  solemn  requiem. 

In  a  letter  to  the  family.  Dr.  Witherspoon 
wrote :  — 

"  My  distress  at  the  intelligence  it  is  impossible 
for  me  to  express.  Along  with  that  sorrow  was  a 
feeling  of  sincere  regret  that  as  her  pastor,  and 
yours,  I  was  so  far  away,  and  thus  providentially 
deprived  of  the  privilege  of  witnessing  an  end  so 
peaceful  and  triumphant,  and  of  giving  you  what  of 
consolation  I  might  have  been  able.     I  shall  always 


282      THE  PEACEFUL   AXD    TRIUMFIIAA^T  END. 

be  happy  and  proud  in  the  thought  that  Mrs.  Polk 
was  my  friend,  and  that  I  bore  to  her  the  sacred 
relation  of  pastor.  It  is  a  sweet  salisfaction  to 
know  that  her  confidence  I  enjoyed  while  she  yet 
lingered  with  us  to  brighten  our  lives  by  her 
womanly  worth  and  her  noble  Christian  character. 
...  I  can  well  imagine  what  a  change  in  your  life, 
and  in  that  of  your  loved  ones,  is  made  by  her 
going  from  you.  We  all  know  how  she  loved  the 
inmates  of  that  home,  who  tenderly  loved  her  in 
return,  and  ministered  to  her  so  faithfully  in  the 
evening  of  her  precious  life.  He  who  rewards  the 
giving  of  a  cup  of  cold  water  in  His  name  to  one 
of  His  disciples,  will  surely  recompense  you  and 
yours  for  smoothing  her  path  to  the  grave.  May 
the  God  of  all  grace  who  took  the  sting  out  of 
death  for  her,  bless  and  comfort  you." 

Judge  Lea  wrote :  **  Her  friendship  for  me  was 
one  of  the  treasures  of  my  life." 

From  an  article  in  the  ''  American  "  we  extract 
the  following  paragraph :  — 


''  She  was  a  true  woman  and  a  strong  woman ;  true  to 
all  the  best  feelings  of  a  warm  and  honest  heart ;  strong  in 
all  that  belongs  to  a  cultivated  mind,  and  a  brave  one.  She 
had  strength  of  purpose,  a  clear  intellect,  and  was  a  wise 
and  sagacious  student  of  affairs,  not  only  because  she  had 
the  mind  to  comprehend  and  appreciate,  but  also  because 


THE  PEACEFUL   AND    TRIUMPHANT  END.      283 

she  tenderly  revered  the  memory  of  her  husband,  who  had 
been  honored  with  the  highest  gifts  by  the  people  of  his 
country.  She  was  a  great  woman,  and  few  have  lived  like 
her ;  for  she  passed  unscathed  through  an  ordeal  that  few 
women  and  men,  living  or  dead,  could  have  passed,  and 
left  a  bright  record  behind  them.'* 

The  following  inscription  has  been  placed  on  the 
west  side  of  the  tomb,  in  the  place  originally  left 
vacant  for  this  purpose :  — 


ASLEEP   IX   JESUS. 


MRS.   SARAH   CHILDRESS   POLK, 

WIFE    OF 

JAMES   KNOX   POLK. 

Born  in  Rutherford  County,  Tenn., 
Sept.  4,  1803. 

Died  at  Polk  Place,  Nashville,  Tenn. 
August  14,  1891- 


A  noble  woman,  a  devoted  wife, 
a  true  friend,  a  sincere  Christian. 


"Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord." 

These  memorials  may  fitly  close  with  the  foUow 
ing  letter,  addressed  to  Mrs.  Fall:  — 


284      THE   PEACEFUL   AND    TRIUMPHANT  END. 

EvANSTON,  III.,  Aug.  15,  189T. 

Dear  Friend,  —  A  noble  Christian  and  typical 
American  lady  of  the  old  school  has  gone  from  this 
world,  and  a  beloved  aunt  and  household  comrade 
has  left  your  historic  home.  Seeing  Mrs.  Polk  first 
in  1 88 1,  I  have  omitted  no  opportunity  to  do  so 
when  in  Nashville  since  then.  The  portrait  at  the 
White  House,  placed  there  by  American  women, 
Northern  and  Southern,  was  a  beautiful  token  of 
our  renewed  love  and  good  understanding.  The 
Christian  example  of  Mrs.  President  Polk  at  the 
Executive  Mansion  will  brighten  the  annals  of  our 
common  country.  These  lines  cannot  express  the 
full  measure  of  appreciation  and  reverence  that  I 
have  always  cherished  for  your  illustrious  aunt. 
Well  might  the  church  bells  toll  for  one  always 
loyal  to  our  Lord,  and  the  flags  be  placed  at  half- 
mast  for  a  patriot  who  dignified  the  name  "  Amer- 
ican." May  God's  blessing  be  with  you  all  who 
loved  her,  and  who  have  lost  her  out  of  your  lives, 
is  the  prayer  of 

Yours  in  the  love  of  God  and  of  Humanity, 

Frances  E.  Willard. 


Qi 


